Crazy Stupid Quest
by Nemi-Dina
Summary: "You two haven't dated in what, five years at least?" Heather challenged, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows suggestively. Both Catherine and Tess slumped deeper into their chairs, their eyes suddenly looking anywhere but at the younger girl. "I thought I'd have you guys moving in with me, you know in the sorority house!" - College (post-grad).
1. Chapter 1

_Just an idea that popped up into my head a little while ago. A short multi-chapter story with three girls, three friends looking – for some unconsciously – for love. I hope you'll enjoy the mixing of goofiness and desperation which will be at the core of this story alongside the main pairing of course Cat/Vincent. _

_Disclamer: I don't own the CW's Beauty and the Beast, blablablablablablabla... but I do own the plot and the original characters though..._

_PS: Rating might change overtime._

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**I – No turning back**

* * *

Catherine Chandler felt her jeans back pocket in search of her smartphone as she crossed the busy avenue. She could hardly hear her brown combat boots clapping against the hard tarred ground as the wave of people walked hurriedly on the large crosswalk. Weaving through the hurried mob, she sighed contentedly when her feet left the pavement and stepped onto the sidewalk, bringing her closer to her sister's meeting point. Much to her comfort, the part of Manhattan she was currently moving through seemed less crowded than the last avenue she'd had to pass through.

Her blue colored flat phone ringed one more time and she smiled when her fingertips closed around it, pulling it out of her pocket and up to her face. Sliding her thumb across the soft surface, she brought the item close to her ear, eager to taunt her younger sister.

"Yes, this is Chandler." She chided into the phone. "And I'm less than thirty feet away from your oh-so-new-favorite-café so hang on!"

"You're thirty minutes late, you jerk!" The chirpy voice complained loudly and Catherine had to move the phone away from her temple to save her eardrums.

Deciding on teasing the younger Heather Chandler, she hung up the phone, preventing her chirpy voice from saying more.

The mentioned café looked even worse than she'd guessed. It was a quaint former store which had been illy turned into a coffee-shop, and though the wooden tables and their adorning pink napkins looked somewhat sweet and cute, the counter facing them was a complete contrast with its bleak and dark surface only worsening its decrepit sides, sporting scratches and much visible cracks.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Catherine cried out as she pulled a chair next to a very bored Tess and a disturbingly elegant Heather.

"What can I say, I guess Heather's vision is much worse than we thought." The caramel skinned girl said flatly, her eyes never leaving Heather's.

"Hey! That was out of line! The place looked awesome on the picture." The youngest of the three chirped out with a wide smile.

"So you came here because of that crappy website, huh?" Catherine remarked with raised eyebrows as she looked up and around, noticing a petty half-lit sign hanging sideways above the counter.

"It is not a crappy website, it is a work-in-progress, and in order to honor the webmaster who happens to be my good friend, I thought I'd give it a try." Heather felt the need to correct her sister's wrong assumptions.

"Yeah, right, just like this place is anything but crap." Catherine snickered. "Oh, I know!" She added with a teasing smirk. "It is clearly a work-in-progress too!".

"Cat!" The young Chandler moaned and slapped her hand over the covered wooden surface, causing the floorboards to shake along with the creaky table.

"Anyways." Tess cut in with a long and heavy sigh, discarding Heather's reaction with a flick of her wrist. "Mind telling us why we're here in the first place? And don't start with that stupid love quest again, please. There is only so much I can bare."

Heather gasped, annoyed by Tess and her lack of enthusiasm in love, happiness and life in general.

"Girls! I may be younger and I may have enough time to find a suitable match but you two are way behind! You are both turning twenty-five in less than three weeks and here you are! All petty and single and no fun to be around."

"Excuse me." Catherine spit out, raising a threatening finger and poking her sister's shoulder with it.

"Hell to the freakish no! I will not be lectured by you of all midgets." Tess scoffed, snapping her fingers and rocking her inner diva-cop as she thought of the best comebacks to shower her friend's sister with.

"You two haven't dated in what, five years at least?" Heather challenged, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Both Catherine and Tess slumped deeper into their chairs, their eyes suddenly looking anywhere but at the younger girl.

"Ha! That's what I thought!" Heather sung out triumphantly. "Did you know that the unspoken limit, that the dreadful age which is the time for you to find mr. right is just round the corner?"

Catherine stood up suddenly, causing her chair to creak and flip backwards.

"I need to pee." She mumbled and hurried away and towards the counter, asking the waitress where the bathroom was.

"Damn it!" Heather felt frustrated.

Every time she tried to play match maker for her sister, a catastrophe would ensue or else Cat would do what Cat did best, she would flee.

"She's good. Why didn't I think of that?" Tess said in a haze. "Now I'm going to have to bare all your nonsense while she gets to fake a bad case of diarrhea."

Heather gasped again, watching in surprise as Tess let her head collapse on the table, pretending to sleep soundly.

"You can't be serious." The young Chandler choked out in a shrilling voice.

Tess refused to move or look up and thought she had better simulate snoring sounds instead.

"You had better not move from your spot." Heather warned threateningly as she nudged the girl's shoulder. "I'm going after Cat. We'll be right back."

Tess looked up just in time to see the younger of the two Chandlers walk away and past the counter towards what she presumed was the bathroom.

…...

Catherine bent down over the sink, cupping cool water into her hands and bringing it to her face in an attempt to calm the blushing taking over her flushed cheeks. There was more to the whole quarter life crisis and the ridiculous twenty-five years of age as the dreaded frontier. It wasn't only about being single for so long that she couldn't even remember how a date was to supposed to go, it was also about the fact that both Tess and her still did not have a proper job. With post-grad school and her master's thesis sucking the life out of her, she felt like she was at the dead end of a dark and gloomy tunnel with nothing to hope for and nothing to strive for anymore. But even worse than all these horrors was the beacon of all of her troubles, her dorm room and her appalling roommate, who did more vomiting than talking and had sex with a different male every night. Whoever said that college life was all about partying and having a blast or that being in your early twenties was a fairytale, she wished she could kill with a bullet through their head. Being in your mid-twenties was anything but fun which brought her to her next point.

Looking up at her reflection in the dirty mirror opposite, Catherine sighed defeatedly. Her little sister was right. Tess and her were no fun to be around. They were always studying, working on their criminology seminars or else doing research for their thesis and then when they weren't studying, they were out on internships for the local police department.

"Hey! You'd better be done peeing!" A high pitched voice jolted her out of her thoughts and Catherine turned around with a start.

"I was just washing my face." She said simply and wiped her hands on her plain dark shirt.

"Good then because I met you here for a reason, you had better be ready to hear what cool deal I have to offer." Heather said excitedly, clapping her hands silently.

"Please, let it be something legal." Catherine complained.

"You know I never do shady business." Heather said with a dismissive grimace, causing Catherine to roll her eyes in exasperation.

Together they sauntered back to the table at which Tess was already sipping from a latte.

"Thank's pig, you could have waited for us before ordering anything." Catherine muttered as she pulled her chair up from the floor, sitting down on it and sending Tess a disapproving look.

"What can I say? I was _so despicably bored_." Tess said with a shrug, her eyes never leaving her mug.

"All right." Heather started enthusiastically as she pulled her chair and sat down too. "This is going to be good!"

The two girls facing her merely looked up at her happy face, both choosing to ignore her irritating vitality.

"Well, since you two hate your roommates!" Heather cried out with a grin so wide Catherine could have sworn that she saw the corner of her lips reaching her ear.

"I thought I'd have you guys moving in with me, you know in the sorority house!"

Tess choked on her latte, spitting the warm liquid directly in Heather's face.

"Oh my God, are you insane?" Catherine asked through gritted teeth.

Heather let out a weak whimper, grabbing the first napkin she could find and dabbing frantically at her face and then at her designer lacy shirt. Soon enough, her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, her eyes widening in shock as she glared at a dull and disinterested Tess Vargas who furtively stole glances at a disgusted Catherine Chandler.

"You two are impossible!" The young freshman student cried out hysterically, swinging her arms up in desperation. "If you really want to get rid of your disgusting roommates and have a decent place to stay for the remainder of the school year, you can come to the sorority house, we're recruiting and we need post-grad students! It's that or nothing, so take it or leave it!"

"Like I'm ever going to set foot in such a minefield." Tess said with a huff and proceeded to laugh openly at her friend's sister and her ridiculous proposition.

"Yeah, I'm never signing up for Loser-ville either." Catherine muttered and winced at the thought of a certain Alex Something, the president of Heather's sorority house.

"Well, we'll see about that." Heather said with much determination, waving at the passing waitress energetically.

"I'll have an Expresso, and I want it to be real strong please." She demanded cordially.

"Is that all?" The blond-haired waitress asked with a polite smile.

"I'll have a french vanilla, please." Catherine said obligingly, handing the menu back to the blond-haired girl.

"I'll be right back." The waitress said with an amicable nod and turned on her heels.

"You just wait and see, you jerks." Heather laughed dryly. "When you realize the fraternity in the neighboring house is full of hot babes, you'll come around begging for me to have you in."

Catherine burst out laughing, bending down over the table and clutching her stomach comically while Tess sighed exasperatedly.

"That's never going to happen. Hear that little Chandler?" Tess teased with a sarcastic grin.

"NEVER." Catherine uttered the word very slowly for Heather to take in the information and put it through her little skull that neither she nor her friend Tess would ever end up in such a ridiculous predicament.

…...

"When can I move in?" Catherine croaked out desperately as she clutched the phone close to her ear, her other hand holding onto the door handle as she sunk down to the floor, lying still outside her dorm room and in the middle of the hallway.

If she had stayed in the dreaded dorm room a minute longer, she would have certainly committed suicide or else homicide. Her debauched roommate – Beth Bowman was the name and the entire building knew her by reputation – was the slut of the party and though she appeared to be a very nice person in general, Catherine had had enough. She knew she would go through a breakdown if she even peered inside the room again, the room in which Beth was having the time her life, or so people thought, having sex with another student, and one that Catherine had barely ever seen before. Not to mention that there was also vomit on the bed that Catherine slept in. And of course, She could handle a drunk roommate throwing up all over the place but this was too much. Her bed was the sanctuary which could not be fouled. Clearly, Beth had crossed a line, and now Catherine could not possibly go back. Her only solution was to leave, to move out as quickly as she could and to do that, she needed Heather's help. So though she hated to admit that her sister was right, there she was, checking her dignity at the door and begging the younger Chandler for desperately needed help.

"May I just say." Heather started with long and dreary chuckle. "I told you so."

"Oh shut up and come save me, little brat." Catherine whined tiredly. "I haven't slept at all and I have an oral presentation for a seminar in less than two days, and I can't go back inside my dorm, and it's all dirty and it's everywhere and – "

"Relax." Heather chided with a sigh. "You're going to be fine, big sister."

Catherine rested her head against the door, looking up at the ceiling and wondering when exactly she'd hit rock bottom, being deprived of sleep, eating much less than enough and sometimes even falling sick, which was partly due to Beth's terrible lack of hygiene but mostly due to her own carelessness.

"Look. I'll come right away and help you get your stuff then we'll just have to have a little talk with Alex regarding your future bedroom and all will be well." Heather said reassuringly.

"Alex?" Catherine wondered out loud. "Doesn't that sound like the redhead witch who hates me?"

"Catherine!" Heather cried out in exasperation. "She is the president of the sorority house, you had better check your mouth when you get here! Besides she can be really nice and I'm sure she'll love you right away."

"Bitch spilled her drink on my dress on your last birthday." Catherine croaked out.

"She didn't mean to." Heather defended.

"Yes, she did." Catherine countered. "She said something about staying away from her man, some Vincent something but I couldn't even remember the guy's face."

"Never mind, she was probably a little drunk." Heather said in a more enthusiastic voice.

"Yeah, right." Catherine huffed and put a hand over her mouth, preventing herself from gagging as she heard the distinct sounds of vomiting and choking on the other side of the door. "Just hurry, please."

"Look at you big sister." Heather sung out with pride. "Calling your little Heather for help in the middle of the night! I feel like a badass power girl, some cat-woman or something, coming to rescue you."

"Just freaking come real quick!" Catherine hissed, irritation sounding through her hoarse voice and then she hung up, swearing that she could feel steam blowing out her ears.

…...

Catherine let out a long and heavy sigh, moaning with pleasure when Heather's car roared to life, driving off into the distance and taking her away from it all, away from Beth the-vomiting-slut and away from all the dirt reeking inside the dorm room.

"I thought this day would never come." She whispered and closed her eyes, feeling the autumn breeze caressing her face as the window slid down, letting in a gust of cool wind.

"Me and you both." Heather said with a mocking chuckle. "Though I knew I was right the whole time."

"Are you done with the taunting, please?" Catherine pleaded.

"No, not quite yet." Heather said simply and shrugged.

"Please do not forget that I'm here too." A familiar voice called from the backseat and Catherine startled, whipping her head around to look at a sleepy Tess still wearing her pajamas.

"Where did you come from?" Catherine choked out.

"Heather picked me up while you were asleep. I had everything packed so I just hopped in."

"What happened?" Catherine asked incredulously.

"Long story short." Tess muttered uneasily. "I got kicked out."

"Why?" Heather and Catherine asked in unison.

"Punched my roommate in the face." Was the girl's lazy response.

"Well, looks like Heather gets to be twice right tonight." Catherine whispered with a lop-sided smile.

Under normal circumstances, she would have chastised her friend for losing control, especially when she intended to be a cop and a detective at that. But they were both quite a mess and she knew they both needed comfort. So did Heather for though she disliked the idea of a violent Tess, she refrained from saying anything, shooting the tired girl an understanding smile through the rear-view mirror.

"You just hang on girls." The young chandler tried to cheer them up with a wide smile. "We're almost there."

…...

_**Please let me know what you think, tell me if I should continue. Thank you.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Update:_ July, 10th 2014

_word count:_ 4307

PS: ENJOY :)

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**II – Gentleman in distress**

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Upon seeing the two stories house, Catherine felt the bile rise in her stomach, the very beginning of a flu reaching her insides. She hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours and only dreamt of collapsing over a warm and comfortable bed. Eager to slip inside the _Pi Betha Phi_'s nest, she couldn't be bothered with the few girls lounging around near the porch, and greeting Heather enthusiastically as she passed by – Catherine Chandler only had eyes for the large spiral stairs facing the front door and most probably leading to the _oh-so-craved_ bedrooms.

"All right, so given that it's already three in the morning, you don't get to be introduced to the rest of the girls just yet." Heather explained as they walked through the front door.

The girls nodded silently and followed her footsteps.

"This place is huge!" Tess whistled the second they were inside. "It's – it's like a plantation house."

Catherine felt a shiver run down her spine as she took in the amount of pink bedecking the large interior. The whole theme was centered around roses and girly scents and within seconds, the girl's stomach was sent into a whirlwind of disgust, though the mere thought of her ex-roommate forced her to hold back her disappointment. _With a little bit of luck,_ she thought, the bedrooms might be less Barbie-themed and more adult appropriate after all, so she still had something to look forward to.

"Well, yes, it used to be a big plantation!" Heather said enthusiastically, raising her arms up as she stood in the middle of the large entry hall. "But now it's _our_ place! Isn't that wonderful? We're like little queens in a fairytale and this is our castle!"

Tess couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's pathetic words, clearly Heather Chandler still needed to face the real world, because the last time she checked, fairytales never existed.

"Dear God." Catherine choked out, raising a hand to her mouth, her features contracting into a grimace.

Heather whipped her head around, ready to chastise her sister.

"Just because it's not your ideal place, doesn't mean you won't like it, Cat." The young Chandler waved off her sister's gagging and turned to lead the way.

As she began climbing the stairs though, she heard the distinct sound of choking coming from behind her and froze in place.

"Oh wow, I think Cat just about staked a claim." Tess laughed at the sight of her friend emptying the content of her stomach in the wide floral vase standing by the front door.

…...

"I swear to God, Cat." Heather started. "If you throw up again – "

"I'll run to the bathroom. I promise." Catherine raised a hand, indicating that she would be fine from then on.

Her younger sister sighed and nodded on her way out of the bedroom.

"Good night, pumpkin."

Catherine couldn't help but roll her eyes at her sister who stood by the door, one of her hands holding the knob.

"Good night, little Chandler."

"Well, I'm not so little anymore." The short-haired girl complained. "but I'll let it go for now."

"Why, _thank you_." Catherine's lips twitched into a mocking smile.

Eventually, Heather returned the smile and closed the door, allowing Catherine to slump down on one of the twin sized beds filling the spacious room.

Though the coffee scented chamber was a strange place, one she'd never been in before, she tried, really tried to actually sleep, shutting her eyes vigorously and twisting into a comfortable fetal position with one hand rubbing her belly soothingly. Unfortunately, her stomach kept her awake the whole night and it felt like several hours had passed before her faintness reached a climax, causing her to jump out of bed. She reached the toilet just in time, _thank God_, before the vomiting started. She didn't have much in her stomach though so the whole process happened to be more awful than it should be, with her upper body convulsing painfully, and her mouth spitting only water and saliva.

Standing up, she felt around in search of the light switch, illuminating the cosy bathroom. Her first instinct was to blink her eyes, the sudden lighting blinding her momentarily, but as soon as her vision improved, she was able to flush the toilet. Stumbling awkwardly towards the white and immaculate sink, she bent over slightly and faced the two feet wide mirror; and then resting a hand on each side of it, she took a few seconds to catch her breath.

When she looked up again and noticed her reflection, she moaned silently. Her bloodshot eyes had welled up with tears, her chapped lips were trembling and with her hair in such a mess and then the very dark rings leaving death-like marks under her glassy amber eyes, she looked ghastly.

The cool water felt good as she splashed it all over her face and down her neck too. She was starting to feel hot and a particularly strong headache had begun its onslaught, slowly eating away at her nerves. Though she was no doctor, she had enough common sense to read the symptoms, she had _actually_ fallen sick this time. And it wasn't like she was catching a bearable and mild cold, _no_, she knew that this must be some nasty flu, entailing the bed-bound sort of sickness and a minimum of 24 hours of agony.

So if she was going to suffer for the next few days or so, she thought she had better prepare herself for it. _Perhaps going down to the kitchen to have some warm pot of tea would be helpful?_

Paying attention to her surroundings for the first time that night, she realized that the bathroom linked to her bedroom was actually a luxury compared to the dormitory's communal showers. Everything looked so clean and white, even the soft tiled floor felt undeniably smooth and bright as she lifted her foot very slightly, letting her warm toes swift across the plain surface.

Moving back out, she squinted in the half-lit bedroom – the bathroom's bulb having been the only source of light so far – and spotted the light switch by the door. When she pushed it up, the miniature chandelier hung to the ceiling came to life, conveying an enchanting atmosphere as the several little balls attached to it shined through.

She took a deep breath, her heart fluttering at the sight of it all; the cream-colored walls and the subtle layout of the furniture in complete harmony with the rest of the soft colors adorning the place. The interior design was absolutely remarkable, it wasn't too plain or dull and it wasn't too colorful and childish either. It was the perfect combination of beige, brown and black, reminding her of a very tasty mug of warm coffee.

"Hi!" A deep voice called and Catherine jumped up, scared by the sudden appearance.

"Hi." The girl greeted her again when she turned around to face her. "I'm Tori, your roommate?"

It took a little while for Catherine to react and shake the hand extended her way.

"Hum – hi – hello."

The shorter brunette felt her eyes flutter as she stared at the six foot tall girl who'd come in so swiftly that she hadn't even heard the door crack open. The happy looking redhead giggled enthusiastically, her green eyes glistening brightly and her radiant face filling with joy and liveliness.

Surprisingly enough, though Catherine wasn't in a good mood, she found herself smiling too, unable to resist her new roommate and her delightful aura.

"Oh, please, don't be shy!" Tori exclaimed after a moment of silence, her hands joining together as she made an effort to apologize. "I know _I_ must be a pain in the ass, barging in like that at the break of dawn, but I swear to God, it's not something that happens very often. I'm not the _party-girl_, you know?"

Catherine blinked rapidly, barely able to take in the amount of words flowing out of the girl's mouth.

"Oh – huh – Okay?" She stammered, her headache combing back to her temples and taking its toll on her.

"Wait – hold on a minute – didn't Heather tell you about me?" Tori gasped, her hands resting on her hips.

"Oh – Oh!" Catherine whispered to herself. "I'm sorry she must have." She explained with a nod. "But I was so sick and tired I probably wasn't listening."

"Oh, well, she told me a lot about you!" Tori beamed at her.

"She did?" Was Catherine's lazy answer.

"Of course, she did and oh – oh ! I'm sure that we'll be the best of friends by the end of the week!" Tori chirped out in her deep velvety voice.

Catherine nodded as politely as she could, her fingers massaging her temples as her head grew heavier and heavier.

"Hey!" Tori shook her shoulder very gently, showing concern. "You're sick, aren't you?"

And then all it took for Tori to turn into an immediate caregiver was another nod, and all Catherine could do in return was whisper a series of grateful _thanks._

…...

Tori had a way of reassuring people, Catherine realized when the girl grabbed her wrist nonchalantly, silently leading them down the large mahogany stairs. And with Tori leading the way and literally giving her a shoulder to lean on, Catherine was surprised by how comfortable and safe she felt inside her new residence, her free hand holding onto her newly acquired friend for support.

With a wide smile, She let her mind drift away and fill with memories of her mother and her childhood friends and by the time she and Tori reached the last steps down the staircase, she couldn't help but wonder when exactly someone ever showed such serenity on a first encounter and the way Tori did. In fact, Catherine felt that there was _something_ – something special about the red-haired girl whose strong fingers felt warm and protective as they closed around her frail wrist.

"Shh – shoot." The girl whispered suddenly, repressing a shriek and Catherine almost toppled over.

"What is it?" She asked, jolting out of her thoughts.

"Alex the witch is in the kitchen with her boyfriend, I can hear them from all the way here." Tori whispered in a fearful voice and as the rising sun peeked shyly through the large windows, Catherine could see her features contorting into a grimace.

"You think she's a witch too?" The shorter brunette felt somewhat amused despite the pounding in her head and the nausea shaking her stomach.

"Well, she really _really_ is one as far as I'm concerned." Tori sounded slightly defensive as she sighed heavily.

Catherine shook her head quickly and they halted, remaining perched on the very last step.

"Oh, I wasn't criticizing. On the contrary, I think that we actually have a lot in common, starting with our tastes in interior design." Catherine squeezed the girl's arm and smiled.

"Oh – Oh, I see." Tori tried to giggle as quietly as she could. "Thank God Heather was saying the truth. You really _are_ different."

Catherine shrugged in response, a grin stretching her lips as she guessed the comment must be a compliment.

"So hum – I think I might throw up soon so what do we do now? We can't just stay frozen here, right?" Catherine whispered playfully, feeling like a child having fun despite the flu weighing down on her every limbs.

"Ok so..." Tori started with a nod. "Here goes nothing."

And then they were gone, tip toeing in the way of the dimly lit kitchen.

…...

"Unbelievable! You are a complete travesty to this whole environment!" The angered Alex lashed out at the fazed brown haired man, her icy blue eyes never leaving his.

"You said you'd never call me a travesty, you said you'd never call me a beast." He croaked out, a visible vein almost splitting his forehead in two as the anger welled up inside him.

"Holy shit." Tori whispered quietly and put her arm before Catherine's chest, pushing them back and away from the entrance to the kitchen so as not to be seen by the couple who were so engrossed in their current argue, they hadn't even noticed the two girls walking in on them.

"They're having a serious fight, huh?" Catherine wondered in a hushed voice when they leaned against the wall, listening to the raised voices with much curiosity.

"Yes. Alex is so screwed." Tori whispered almost triumphantly and proceeded to peek discreetly into the kitchen.

"I trusted you! You said you'd never hurt anyone ever again!" Alex was yelling at present, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence.

"And you promised you'd never cheat on me, Alex! You lied to me, you betrayed me!"

"He came onto me, I never started it!"

"Right, right, but that didn't stop you from actually going all the way and screwing him!"

"It didn't mean anything Vincent! It's you and me always, I don't care about Gabe, you know that!"

"Please, just, shut up."

Catherine put a hand over her mouth, holding in a gag while the man's voice changed, growing calm and quiet.

"I don't want to fight with you Alex, I just want you to know that it's over."

A loud and shrilling "NO!" caused Tori and Catherine to startle, their heart racing inside their chest.

"You can't leave me!" Alex screamed at the top of her lungs.

"And you can't keep me hostage." The male voice whispered quietly just as Tori saw him – from the corner of her eye – grabbing a backpack from the floor and slinging it over his shoulder, holding the strap securely against his collarbone.

Tori ducked back and away from the entrance, crawling closer to a very pale Catherine. In the mean time, loud and sporadic sobs escaped Alex's mouth and reverberated throughout the large entry hall.

"Good bye, Alex." The young man said flatly. "Have a nice life."

And then loud stomping noises came their way and the two eavesdropping girls had no other choice than crawl further away so as to hide behind the cabinet standing next to the entrance to the kitchen.

"Oh, Catherine." Tori whispered excitedly. "Please don't throw up on me, this is _huge_ and unless we stay hidden, Alex is going to shred us to pieces. So Please, pretty please, hold it in."

With a very feeble nod, Catherine buried her head between her knees, praying for her stomach not to fail her, while Tori's arms wrapped around her, rocking her gently.

…...

Neither Alex nor her boyfriend had known about the girls' presence. They had walked in opposite directions, the boyfriend – Vincent Keller was his complete name, Catherine learned a few days later – had stomped out and slammed the door behind him while the girl, Alex, had sauntered quietly up the stairs, sobs shaking her chest every so often.

They'd kept the whole story to themselves, Tori, Catherine, Heather and Tess, and it was as if they were back in high school, four girls with a secret which wasn't even theirs to have. And though Alex kept saying to the rest of the girls that her Vincent only needed a break and would start visiting more often, the four girls knew that no such thing would happen, that the boy had had enough and that he was done with it all.

More and more days passed and the rumors regarding the _"it couple_" – the president of the _Pi Betha Phi_ sorority possibly dating the fraternity's coolest guy again – died out with Vincent becoming a mere acquaintance, the ordinary boy-next-door that Alex still hailed whenever he walked by the front-yard but who wouldn't come inside, and the kind that Heather liked to chatter up some times to times. Catherine too would bump into him on many occasions but never really mustered the courage to halt and actually speak to him. They would exchange shy smiles as a way of greeting each other and things never went any further than that but Catherine liked the sweet routine of it all.

They all studied hard, turning in papers and attending several classes and time flew, even more days passing and within a few subsequent weeks, Alex grew remarkably nicer, smiling up at Catherine every time they met and actively trying to hold an amicable conversation if they happened to be in the same room. Deep inside, the short brunette found the behavior a little odd because the last time she'd checked, the girl always wore a cold mask, her features never softening. But Vincent breaking up with her seemed to have really changed something in her, perhaps piercing her cold and defensive heart open and now even Tory was less reluctant to the idea of a chatting session with Alex.

Exceeding all these changes was, of course, Catherine's relationship with her _three best friends_. Up to the middle of October, she had never really reflected on it much, but now that she thought of a costume to wear for the halloween party at the fair, she realized that the four of them had all fallen into a comfortable routine. First they'd have breakfast together along with a few of the other girls. Then they'd meet for lunch after school and shared popcorn on movie nights and then before she knew it, Tori was as important as Tess and Heather, _she was one of them now._

Catherine's nostrils smelled the delightful scent of frying pancakes and was brought back to the present real quick, her heart fluttering at the sight of a happy looking Tori cooking her special homemade chocolate filled pancakes on the stove and a sleepy Heather sipping coffee at the kitchen aisle.

"Morning." She whispered, her voice sounding hoarse.

"Cat!" Heather chirped out excitedly. "You look so much better now."

"I'm not completely healed yet." Catherine shrugged nonchalantly as she pulled a stool from the corner of the kitchen and twisted it open.

She had fallen sick again, having forgotten the window open and waking with her noise stuffed and swollen.

"Oh but you _almost_ are!" Tori sang out with a wink and poured the pancakes down on the large plate facing Heather. "And to thank you for _that night_ by the way, I thought I'd take you to the fair this weekend!"

"Tori. It was just a lift to the hospital, anyone would have done the same for you given how seriously broken your wrist was." Catherine whined, looking down at the cast in her friend's hand. "And I can't believe you can actually cook with your wrist still broken! You seriously don't need to _thank_ me, you've done so much already and took care of me the whole time I was sick and _every time_ I fell sick. Please let it be my treat and we'll get to try all the rides!"

Tori grinned widely, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushing slightly as Catherine patted her shoulder.

"Oh, Cat! Can I come with, please, please, please?!" Heather begged with a pleading puppy face.

"Well, why wouldn't I let you come?" Catherine scrunched up her noise, sensing Heather's burning need to invite more girls.

"Because," The young Chandler started hesitantly. "I sort of met that guy and want him to come too as my date...?"

Catherine's jaw dropped, her eyes widening as she stared at her sister.

"No, no, this was supposed to be a girls' night out." Tori complained. "No boys on board."

"I agree." Catherine's voice sounded flat and unfaltering.

"Oh, no common! Be cool and open to all the possibilities for once in your life!" Heather was flinging her arms wildly for them to understand her vision of passionate love. "Like meet the opposite sex and actually _do_ talk to them and stuff. Love quest, people! LOVE!"

Catherine and Tori sighed in unison, the two of them exasperated by Heather's theatricality.

"Oh – Ouch – Ouch – ahh – Oh god." The familiar voice caused them to all look up suddenly at a sleepy looking Tess rubbing her head as she sauntered across the room.

"Stupid door frame looked wider than it really is so I hit my head against the side of it." She explained when Catherine raised her eyebrows quizzically.

All three girls chuckled and Tess groaned in defeat, she hated to see Heather or Tori laughing at her. Catherine was supposed to be the only exception.

"Quiet children!" Tess emulated Heather's scolding voice and pushed herself up on the aisle, sitting on its very end and grabbing a warm pancake hurriedly. "Mommy hasn't had her breakfast yet and she's starving! Someone fetch me a latte, please, quick!"

Tori raised the plastic ladle she'd used to cook and hit Tess in the back of her head with it.

"AAAAAAAH!" Tess bawled louder than she planned, her fingers massaging her scalp. "That's the spot I hit against the door frame, you idiot."

"Why did you hit her?" Catherine asked.

"She almost told Vincent this very early morning around four." Tori said through gritted teeth.

"Told Vincent what?" Heather wondered.

"Vincent Keller?" Catherine asked in confusion.

"Yes the _hot_ ex boyfriend, remember?! And the whole eavesdropping thing too..." Alex cried out, her eyes growing bigger.

"Oh – oh – I see." Catherine felt her lips twitch into a smile.

"So Tess." Heather started with a grin. "You know _Vincent_?"

"No, I don't! I was just taking the trash out really early in the morning because I forgot to do it yesterday night and there _he_ was, _smelling_ the grass." Tess explained with a casual shrug.

"Smelling the grass?" The two Chandlers asked in unison.

"It's a good thing he was trashed and hungover, otherwise he would have heard Tess calling him the guy-who-dumped-the-bitch-at-three-in-the-morning." Tori said and started munching on her pancake.

"Poor thing! He wasn't smelling the grass, he was probably too sick to move his face away from it and get up! Oh, Tess why didn't you do something!" Heather chided vehemently.

"I _did_ do something but Tori came out running and basically carried me back inside." Tess said innocently.

"And what is it exactly that you did do, Tess?" Catherine asked.

"Well." Tess let out a heavy breath. "I think I nudged him with my foot, just incase he happened to be a zombie."

Tori and Catherine let out a soft chuckle but Heather felt her cheeks warm up as her frustration with Tess was getting the best of her.

"Really, Tess? R_eally_?!" Heather croaked out, gesturing wildly as she stood up from her stool. "You can be such a boy sometimes, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Tess said simply and shoved the rest of her pancake into her mouth, munching frantically and going for another.

Heather shook her head, exasperated by her friends' carelessness.

"Guys, it's still only seven in the morning, you think he's still lying out there?" She asked worriedly and looked at them expectantly.

The three girls looked thoughtful as they debated the possibilities. All of the rest of the girls in the sorority house were still asleep because they'd all been to the party in the fraternity house across the street and apart from Tess, none of the four girls had even dared peer inside the boy's nest. Heather, Tori and Catherine had spent the night in the empty and silent living-room, watching reruns of their favorite TV series but later on that night, they had been joined by Tess who'd claimed that the mere sight of the intoxicated crowd inside the hellish house, had made her stomach churn, causing her to leave the party much sooner than planned.

Now the four of them were happy to have the kitchen to themselves, while the rest were all dozing off in their bedrooms, they could move freely in the entirety of the first floor without anyone bothering them.

"Do we really want to kill our peaceful morning routine?" Tess asked with a frown.

"But, we're not the same as those jerks in that house." Heather's shoulders slumped significantly, her voice sounding feeble. "We _help_ people, we don't just ignore them."

Catherine stood up as she swallowed a last piece of pancake.

"I'll go!" She chirped and smiled at her sister.

"Really?!" The three girls exclaimed in unison.

"Yes, really!" Catherine had to roll her eyes as she turned on her heels. "I happen to have a heart, so I will go see if he's still there."

Grabbing a random cardigan from the coat rack, she put it on lazily and opened the large mahogany door, her slippers padding softly out on the front porch.

Cupping her hands over her forehead, she scanned the much bigger house across the street, her eyes trailing up the driveway and along the blue painted walls and then eventually down the bright green grass rounding the dwelling. The obviously slumped body caused her heart to flutter uncomfortably and she walked ahead and towards it as it lay still in the middle of the front yard.

Upon closer examination, she realized that the boy passed out on the grass was, indeed, Vincent Keller. She recognized his brown silky cropped hair and the distinct curve of his bare back as well as his toned legs and very cute behind. For a little while, she smiled down at him and watched as his chest rose peacefully, his breathing sounding calm and soothing. Heather was right, she thought with a sigh. Vincent Keller, even as trashed as he was now and with his face first into the grass – _well_, even in such a predicament, Vincent was a beautiful _beautiful_ man...

And one that needed her help...

* * *

**TADAAA! Hopefully you didn't fall asleep reading this. What is to come next is going to be much more entertaining, I promise. This was a filler chapter, really, which explains why it wasn't that good, it was so I could settle everyone in the sorority house and all. **

**I thank you very much, all of you for the support. I was seriously blown away by the amount of people leaving oh-so interesting reviews and I read all of them and I'm answering as much of them as I can. And please, feel free to comment again, even criticize what you didn't like reading... Anything, it's all welcome really, as long as I get to know that people are actually interested in this.**

**And I'll stop the rambling. I will try to update as soon as I can. I would have probably posted this chapter much sooner if hadn't fallen sick, so know that the next update might be quicker - fingers crossed. **

**Oh, and please, pretty please, keep on reading? :) Thank you all! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

_Update: July, 17th 2014_

_Word count: 4200_

_PS: Enjoy! :)_

* * *

**III – What's a Soulmate?**

* * *

She crouched down carefully, her shoulder-length hair ruffling in the light breeze and her amber eyes squinting at his profile. There were billions of ways she could go about the situation but there was only one that she wished to try very badly. Something like a slap in the face. Because in her entire life, Catherine hadn't ever slapped a male and for some unknown reason, she wished more than anything, that she could experience such a thing a least once. She knew that she wasn't a mean person or a sadistic jerk, in fact, she was mildly attracted by the drama of it all. There just seemed to be something cool about it and she could already imagine herself raising her hand and then bringing it back down and slamming it on the pale white cheek.

Strangely enough though, the moment she lifted up her hand, the sprinklers switched on, showering her and the sick boy and causing the two of them to gasp loudly.

"Damn it." She cursed while Vincent Keller moaned, rolling on his side and staring up at her.

"Hey." She started hesitantly when his glassy brown eyes met hers. "I'm Catherine, Heather's sister?"

He remained still, head barely lifted up as he scrutinized her face and she took a deep breath, trying not to feel too sorry for him. And then she was lifting him up with one arm hooked round his waist and though he tried to stand up, without her help, he could merely crawl away and towards the large front door.

"Oh man. You really are trashed." She muttered when he put his arm around her shoulders, holding onto her frail body for support and weighing down on her heavily.

In response to her remark, he hardly groaned, his eyes squinting her way and his chapped lips remaining tense as they formed a tight line.

It seemed that it took ages for them to reach the wooden front porch. And when they finally did, they were both drenched from head to toe. Biting down at her lip, Catherine tried to refrain from staring but ended up stealing glances down at the boy's waist and couldn't help but wince at the sight of the black shorts sticking closely to his soft skin and leaving very little to the imagination. Just in time to put an end to her gawking though, the large blue door swung open, revealing a slender looking frat-boy with deep dark eyes and raven black hair.

"Why am I not surprised?!" The slender boy exclaimed with his hands resting on his hips.

"Huh – no idea?" Catherine stammered uneasily.

"That thing." He pointed a finger at the sick-looking Vincent and scrunched up his noise. "is not allowed in here."

Catherine's jaw dropped.

"I mean not for a while at least." The boy added with a shrug.

"What – why?" Catherine felt her frustration slowly turn into anger, her hands clenching into fists and her features freezing in a frown as the boy gifted her with a very disrespectful sardonic smile.

"Frat rules." He said simply and smirked.

"Oh, get out of the way." Catherine growled and pulled at the sick Vincent, meaning to enter the house with or without the other boy's consent.

But the moment she reached the threshold, the lanky boy grabbed at her shoulder, pushing her away and causing her and Vincent to fall back down.

…...

Tess gasped loudly as they crowded the kitchen's large bay, their breath turning onto a thin layer of steam as it hit the glass window.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" Tori asked excitedly as she watched the two figures tumble down to the floor on the front porch of the neighboring house.

"Cat is going to get mad." Heather whispered, squinting her eyes as she observed the lanky and dark haired boy.

"How did he even dare? Freaking idiot." Tess mumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. "We should get out there and give him a lesson."

"Tess." Heather scolded her friend with a shake of her head.

"What? He just about knocked down your sister, you troll." Tess complained with a shrug.

"She can take care of herself." Heather objected with a nod. "Let's just wait and see."

But before the younger of the three girls even had time to finish her sentence, Tess was already shuffling away and towards the front door, pulling a jacket on and slipping on her most comfortable snickers.

…...

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Catherine heard her friend's distinct voice before she appeared before her, standing tall and pushing the boy's chest, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Who the hell are _you_?" The boy moaned and held on to the door frame.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tess spat his way and stepped closer, her eyes widening as she fumed.

"Tess." Catherine moaned from her position on the floor. "Tess, never mind."

Craning her neck to the left, she looked over at the sick Vincent worriedly, his face having grown several shades paler and his bluish lips shaking slightly as he tried to keep his bloodshot eyes open.

"This girl over here!" Tess started and pointed a finger Catherine's way, "Well, she's my friend. And the thing is, you don't mess with _my_ friends."

The boy whistled and shook his head, glancing at a disconcerted Catherine still sat on the floor and a dizzy looking Vincent struggling to prop his upper body on his elbows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess growled as she watched the tall and lanky boy stare witheringly at her friend.

"Oh, the whistle?" The boy said nonchalantly. "It means that all three of you look like shit but overall, it means that you guys are going to be in serious trouble if you don't clear out. I think I just heard my boy, Joe, stroll down the stairs."

"Joe?" Tess and Catherine croaked out in unison.

"Yeah. Joe's our president, he runs the house." The lanky boy said just as a stout looking older boy appeared next to him.

"What's going on here?" The dark skinned boy asked in a hoarse voice, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as his eyes met the girl's.

Catherine let out a long and heavy sigh but Tess remained petrified, her eyes looking so wide it seemed as if they were about to jump out of their sockets.

"Joe Bishop?" She choked out, a hand flying up to her mouth as she stood in shock.

And then a deafening silence fell over all four of them, leaving a bitter awkwardness and causing them to stare confusingly at each other. Catherine noticed the tension between the president of the fraternity house and her embarrassed girl friend but chose not to mention it.

"We were just trying to help." She said exasperatedly instead, breaking the dead silence and bringing Joe's attention back to the sick Vincent as she nodded his way. "Your friend here, doesn't look so good and I meant to take him inside, perhaps to his room."

The president of the fraternity house nodded apprehensively and looked to the right, gauging the other boy's reaction.

"Gabe? What do you think?" He asked with a shrug.

"The rules are pretty clear." The lanky boy said simply and crossed his arms over his chest, an obvious smirk stretching his lips.

"So that's Shitface's name? _Gabe_?" Tess couldn't help but laugh openly at the boy's grimace. "Nice to meet you _Gabe_, but I'd much rather call you _Shithole_, it suits you way better, you know?"

Catherine rolled her eyes as she knew that an argument and a possible fist fight were to unfold within the next few minutes, given her friend's temperament.

"Hey!" Joe clapped his hands, staring ruefully at an angered Tess. "Enough with the childish insults."

"He started it." Tess raised a finger, poking the boy's shoulder with it.

"Please, don't touch me, please?" Gabe scrunched up his noise and stepped away.

"Coward." Tess mumbled.

"Witch." Gabe croaked out.

"Freaking scoundrel!"

"Oh, you waste of human breath!"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid human garbage!"

"_Enough!_"

All four students stopped dead in their tracks, their heads turning towards Vincent as he managed to rise up to his feet.

"My head is throbbing and your childish arguing is driving me insane." He bent down with his hands gripping his knees, his voice sounding harsh now that he had regain some mild form of energy.

"You broke the rules yesterday night." Gabe remarked with a grin. "Now you're gonna have to stay out for a total of twelve hours."

"He's right." Joe sighed and looked up proudly at a fuming Tess. "Sorry, Keller." He added condescendingly and waved dismissively at the three of them before retreating back inside the house.

"Screw you." Vincent croaked out, glaring at a happy looking Gabe, and proceeding to look up as slowly as possible because his skull felt way too heavy, and his clumsy feet were shuffling awkwardly as he tried to walk away.

"Hey, watch out." Tess warned but the boy stumbled down the few steps facing the porch nonetheless, holding on to the wooden railing along the way and somehow managing not to fall flat on the grass.

"I don't need – no – don't need anyone's pity." He stammered and muttered more unintelligible things as he sauntered away, looking even more tipsy than he did seconds before.

The three other students watched dolefully as he struggled to keep his balance but failed miserably.

"Vincent!" An unfamiliar voice called and Catherine turned just in time to see a chubby guy running out of the fraternity house and rushing to his sick friend.

"Please someone help me get him to Alex." The chubby boy pleaded and readjusted the round glasses over his eyes, before grabbing Vincent's arm.

Letting Catherine assist him, the nerdy-looking boy passed his friend's arm over his shoulder and shook his head sadly as he looked down at the tired and grief-stricken face, evident concern looming in his dark green eyes.

…...

They stopped once they reached the inside of the sorority house and she had to hold her breath as Alex of all people, walked down the stairs, her bright red hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"J.T!" She exclaimed, moving towards them.

"Hey." The chubby boy sighed and Catherine's eyes widened as she heard his name for the first time that morning.

It wasn't that she'd never seen the guy before, in fact, she'd noticed him hanging with Vincent a lot and then sometimes even saying a few words to Tess or Tori when they watered the lilies down in the front yard, but she'd never guessed that he was called in such a way. She'd imagined that he was an Agnus or a Rufus, due to his overtly obvious nerdy appearance and his big round glasses. Oh, well. What was in a name, anyways? She thought with a wry smile.

"What happened?" Alex squealed, jolting the short brunette out of her thoughts.

"He lost it yesterday night." J.T said nonchalantly and shrugged as he readjusted his friend's arm over his shoulder. "Think we can, maybe, let him rest in your room for a little while? Gabe and Joe kicked him out for the day."

"That's..." Alex started hesitantly and looked down at her slippers. "Well, that just isn't going to be possible."

Catherine felt her eyebrows furrow in confusion and the nerdy boy craned his neck, looking at her quizzically, as if to ask why Alex was refusing to help given her history with the frat-boy.

"How come?" Catherine asked

She was growing impatient by the second, Vincent wasn't a lightweight body and while one of her hands was holding his waist tighter, the other reached out to caress his cold forehead and brush a few very short locks of brown silky hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed with satisfaction that the red-haired girl was tensing up visibly at the sight of the boy's pale white face.

"I – I just can't." Alex stammered uneasily and Catherine's eyes widened in surprise as the girl proceeded to rush back up the stairs. "He's not my problem anymore." She added with an apologetic frown and disappeared up and away from Catherine's peripheral vision.

"What now?" Catherine heard Tess whisper awkwardly from behind them.

Just as she sighed and huffed, racking her brain for an idea, Tori and Heather appeared out of the Kitchen doorway.

"Let's just get him inside our room." Tori said kindly and nodded towards the flight of mahogany stairs.

"Yes. That's probably the best thing to do." Heather agreed politely, her kind smile never faltering.

"Hey, buddy." The chubby boy, called J.T, said gently as he looked down at the pale white face.

The dark brown eyes barely looked up at any of them as a moan escaped the weak boy's mouth. The younger Chandler stepped closer very carefully and then inhaling deeply, she greeted the sick boy in a hushed and gentle voice, bending down to look down at his face, the latter being cast down as his brown eyes looked down at the floorboards.

"You're going to be just fine." She whispered reassuringly and patted his head as if he were a mere helpless little boy.

…...

Catherine spent most of the morning in her room, lying down on Tori's brown and fluffy carpet, stealing glances frequently at the sick boy passed out on _her_ own bed. The whole time, he'd barely stirred, oftentimes whispering unintelligible things as he rolled over or turned to sleep on his stomach. And though he looked anything but neat or cleaned up, she'd come to appreciate his current appearance. There was something extremely vulnerable about him, now that he was too sick to put up a facade. It was as if _this_ was a very raw version of him, a more authentic one, of course. The intimate kind that only his loved ones got to see, she guessed with a dreamy smile stretching her lips.

She still couldn't believe that he had slept a total of five hours without ever moving much but now that she checked her wristwatch, she realized he might just be about to wake up. It was noon already and the wonderful smell of Spaghetti Bolognese had become its ascent up the stairs, reaching Catherine's nostrils and causing her stomach to growl hungrily. Tori had cooked again, she guessed easily. Who, other than Tori, could produce such heavenly fragrances? And because most of the girls had left for their late morning classes or were simply gone out shopping to find the perfect dresses for the upcoming Halloween party, she knew it would be only her and her favorite girls having lunch in the kitchen this time around and she could only smile at the prospect.

A light coughing sound broke her train of thought and she looked down at the yellowish book resting on her stomach, dog-earing the shabby corner of the page. Lifting her head up from the comfortable pillow which she had carelessly tossed on the carpeted floor, she turned around to look at the intruder standing at the door.

"Hey." The boy whispered shyly.

"Oh, hi." She greeted him with a nod. "J.T, right?"

He grinned, his head bouncing up and down as he asserted the nick name.

"Please, come in." She said politely and rose up to her feet, shuffling towards her bed and looking down at a peaceful Vincent snoring silently.

"He looks better now." J.T sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "We should wake him up."

"No." She whispered quietly. "Let him have a few more minutes. Tori hasn't called any of us yet, which means that she's not done cooking yet."

J.T nodded understandingly and stood up.

"I guess, I'll go get some of his clothes, so that he can change once he's awake and clean." He offered with a kind smile.

"That's a great idea." Catherine chirped as she looked down at Vincent again, his bare chest showing as the comforter slid slightly off his body and down to the floor.

…...

She thought that it would take a little while for J.T to gather Vincent's clothes and bring them then to the sorority house and she could hear the blender buzzing downstairs and guessed that Tori and Heather were making several sorts of milkshakes and juices, all of which could only be delicious given the girls' cooking skills. In the mean time, she thought with a grin as she glanced over at the still sleeping Vincent, she would watch a short episode of _Dawson's Creek_ on her laptop. Sure, the thing was quite the old TV series, unknown to some of the younger students inhabiting the house, but _oh well_. She would be watching it alone anyhow, and with the earbuds on, no one would even hear any of it, including the sick Vincent.

So with a cheesy smile, she settled back down on the brown carpet, pulling a large pillow off of Tori's bed and using it to prop herself against the wall before tossing her old yellowish novel aside. Her MacBook came to life quickly, and she sighed contentedly after clicking the _movies folder_ open. There were several episodes of her favorite Tv show, and she picked one haphazardly, her eyes glistening happily when the short film started, the screen showing the familiar credits accompanied by the soft and pleasurable song.

The short story, though she knew it already, enthralled her and she almost forgot about the sick boy lying in her bed until the distinct sound of a particularly loud yawn caught her attention, causing her to tilt her head towards him, ears perked up and eyes widening.

"Hi." He whispered with a lop-sided smile. "Catherine Chandler, right?"

She remained silent for a while, her eyes seeming lost as she watched him move. He sat up on the comfortable queen sized bed and turned her way, his bare foot resting on the carpeted floor as he proceeded to stand up.

"I believe, we've met before." He said archly and extended his hand.

She watched it dumbly before shaking it in hers.

"Hum – why – yes, we did, about five hours ago in the front yard of the frat-house." She stammered because she could barely speak coherently if he stared at her so shamelessly, his dark eyes drilling a hole through her head.

"No, no no." He chuckled lightly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I meant, _way_ before."

But she failed to remember any past events pertaining to him or to his friends, except maybe for that very one time she heard Alex mention a "Vincent". It went back to Heather's twentieth birthday and all the memories were hazy and fuzzy, probably because she'd gotten drunk that night, drowning her sorrows in alcohol after learning that she'd failed a major test for the NYPD's recruitment office.

"I was way worse than I was this morning back then and..." He started hesitantly. "Well. You took care of me. You dragged me down the building and then conveniently called a taxi for me to get home safely."

"I probably did." Catherine said simply and shook her head, hitting the space-bar on the keyboard to pause the episode she'd been watching.

"Sorry I can't quite remember... at least not entirely." She apologized with a sympathetic smile.

"No problem." He shook his head, a wide smile tugging at his lips. "You're better off not remembering anyways, I was really hideous that night."

She chuckled at his comment, her eyebrows rising as she stared up at him. Now that he looked better and healthier, she could see the detailed beauty in his face, taking notice of the cute dimples on his cheeks as he beamed at her or the way his full lips brightened as they stretched into a smile and she couldn't help but find him wonderfully attractive, his brown orbs staring right back at her, soft and caring it seemed for the sun, peeking inside the room, reflected charmingly on the creamy brown of his mesmerizing eyes.

"What are you watching?" He asked, curiosity tinting his elegant features.

"Huh – nothing really." She muttered nervously, getting ready to shut down her laptop.

"No, please, don't." He crouched down to the carpeted floor and crawled her way, his fingers reaching out to tear the earbuds' wire away.

And then before she had the chance to react, his index finger had hit the space-bar, unpausing the short film as he pulled back to sit beside her.

She held her breath as they watched the extremely cheesy scene unfold, the little girl on the screen, sitting down on the couch next to the main character and asking:

"_What's a soulmate?"_

She heard Vincent sigh contentedly as he lied back against the wall, seemingly enjoying the scene. And then the main character proceeded to explain the meaning of the dreadful word: _soulmate_. A word which represented everything Catherine would never believe in.

"_It's a.. Well, it's like a best friend, but more."_ The male voice echoed throughout the room and Catherine fidgeted slightly as she readjusted her pillow, toes digging in the carpet and fingers curling around the soft and fluffy material of the pillow cover.

"_It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It's someone who makes you a better person,"_ The character continued, his eyes softening as he looked down at the little girl and Catherine felt her heart leap inside her chest as Vincent's bare shoulder grazed hers.

"_Well, actually they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself – because they inspire you." _

She dared stealing a glance at the boy next to her, very discreetly so but surely not cautiously enough because the moment her eyes landed on his profile, he craned his neck, smiling down at her and she felt her cheeks warm up suddenly.

_A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens.. you'll always love them."_

The silence following the very cheesy scene was of the deafening sort, weighing down on them as they stared awkwardly at each other.

"You don't believe in soul-mates, do you?" He took her by surprise, his hand reaching out to pause the short film again.

For a long while, she couldn't say anything as he waited an answer, his face looking soft and caring but also somewhat mischievous because of the sparkle in his deep brown eyes.

"It's just a TV show." She said simply, shoulders shrugging and lips twitching into a nonchalant smile. "Too cheesy for reality anyways."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his eyes looking elsewhere as he attempted to rise up to his feet.

"I guess you're right." He whispered in a haze, looking away and at the open bathroom door.

He'd started to seem less disoriented and somewhat more aware as he stared up and around, studying the room, so with a confident smile, Catherine stood up and approached him carefully, pulling gently at his wrist.

"Tori cooked delicious pasta." She said with a reassuring nod. "We should probably get down to the kitchen. She's going to start calling soon."

"Oh – huh – sure yeah, but hum – may I just." His hoarse voice could barely be heard over the loud chatter and laughter erupting suddenly from down the stairs. "Just shower first?"

Catherine was surprised for a short while but smiled nonetheless. "_Of course_." She nodded actively. "I'll go get you a towel."

…...

She couldn't really put her finger on it but the moment he emerged out of the bathroom with the white towel hanging loosely on his hips and the glistening drops of water slipping down his bare skin, her heart-rate went into a frenzy, disorganized beats shaking her ribcage and causing her palms to sweat suddenly. And in that moment, it started to dawn on her that, maybe, _possibly_, taking care of Vincent and then bringing him to her room, wasn't such a good idea. Because despite all of her efforts, she couldn't bring herself to dislike the way her heart now fluttered at the sight of his beaming grin or the way she stammered as he approached her, half naked and yet looking so comfortable around her...

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed this cheesy chapter. Please, let me know what you thought of it? And thank you so much for the support. I love you for it. Thank you for reading and reviewing and until next time... please hang in there...?**_


	4. Chapter 4

Of course the usual wee bit of info:

_Update: July, 21th 2014_

_Word count: 4300_

_Read-proof: Yeah, you should just know that no one checks my writing except me, and a lot of the time, mistakes slip through and I just can't see them after a while and it kills me because I hate writing like crap but yeah I always check again and again and I find the Goddamn mistakes and I correct them, which is why I often update my chapters for improvements._

_PS: I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, hopefully, you won't be disappointed? As you've probably guessed by now, this is an AU story and Vincent is not really a beast, he might have some anger issues but don't expect him turn into hulk all of a sudden, that won't happen. And once again:_

_Enjoy? :)_

* * *

**III - Up She Goes**

* * *

He'd gotten dressed and now his chest and legs were fully covered, _thank God_. Otherwise, she wasn't sure what little self-control would be left for her not to make a fool of herself and the very stupid thing was, it wasn't the first time that Catherine saw a half naked man, she'd seen others before in the dormitory's showers and some of them were very much _fine_, but she never really lost control when she crossed paths with them. She had her dignity and most of the time, she couldn't care less about their stupid pick up lines.

Now there was _Vincent Keller._ And she couldn't deny that there was something different about him that eluded her and caused her to feel awkward and foolish. His brown orbs were different from the rest of the male population's, they were dark and mystifying and so intense that she rarely looked him in the eye. Besides, the very fact that he'd never tried to overtly flirt with her or impress her with some stupid pick up line, caused her to appreciate him even more. It seemed that he never needed to rush anything, looking always so calm and collected and she wondered if there was any unspoken or buried rage inside him.

"Cat!" Heather's annoyingly chirpy voice put an end to her misty thoughts.

"Huh?" She looked up and away from her plate, wondering at the sight of her exasperated sister.

"The _carafe_, Cat. _**Please**_ pass me the carafe."

Catherine looked to her right, her mind still clouded as she grabbed the container full of juice and handed it to the girl sitting across from her on the large kitchen table.

"Finally." Heather huffed. "_Thank you_."

Catherine shrugged nonchalantly and looked back down at her uneaten food.

What exactly had happened to Alex and Vincent for them to break up? She wondered, recalling the night she moved in the sorority house. Snippets of the two ex-lovers' argue came back to her, words screamed out loud by the two of them including accusations regarding adultery.

"Seriously, Cat! What's wrong with you?"

She sighed as she looked up at her sister again.

"Ever since I called you to come down and have lunch, you've been acting weird as hell and that's kind of rude given that we have guests today." Heather complained as she dabbed a white handkerchief at the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, no, that's not rude at all." J.T stammered with a wide grin and raised a glass full of orange juice to his mouth, gulping it down. "I haven't eaten this well in such a long time!" He chuckled lightly and picked at the tender steak meat in his plate.

"I agree." Vincent cackled good-naturedly. "The boys at the frat-house are terrible cooks, the food is barely edible."

"_This_," J.T gestured wildly, pointing a finger at all the food displayed on the large table, "is heaven!"

"You really think so?" Tori asked with a shy lop-sided smile.

"Hell, yeah! Of course, he does." Tess grumbled as she munched on the pasta.

"All right, then." Tori nodded enthusiastically while Heather smiled contentedly.

"So, Catherine," Vincent started after a short silence. "what do you major in?"

The short brunette felt the air slip out of her lungs as the deep brown eyes landed on her, followed shortly by four other pairs of eyes.

"I huh – I study criminology and am actually an intern at the precinct and – well, so is Tess."

The caramel skinned girl barely looked up at her friend, being too engrossed in the importance of the plate full of food which she was currently emptying successfully.

"Interesting." Vincent nodded politely. "One of my friends, hum – Evan, yeah Evan – well, he's an intern too, at the precinct, but he majors in biology and bio-chemicals. He's at the peak of his studies so he'll probably soon work as a medical examiner."

Heather gasped loudly at the mention of _Evan_ and put a hand on her chest, heaving slightly as she bent over the table.

"You _know_ Evan?" She beamed at Vincent. "Oh my god! He's my date to the Halloween party – you know the one that will be held saturday night at the fair?!"

"OH – oh, huh – So you are the girlfriend he won't stop blabbering about." Vincent said archly, a wide smirk stretching his lips.

"He – he, he talks about me?" Heather stammered nervously as her fingers gripped the hem of her dress.

"Yeah, all the freaking time." J.T chuckled loudly and moaned as he brought the fork full of meat to his mouth.

"Well," Heather started, pushing her hair behind her ears. "we never really got a chance to define the relationship but if he says I'm his girlfriend then – I guess I'm fine with it."

"How long have you two known each other?" Tess mumbled, lacking elegance quite cruelly in Heather's opinion.

"You mean me and Evan?" Heather gushed with a grin.

"No, you and Santa!" Tess rolled her eyes as she stretched awkwardly to reach one of the large carafes containing the delicious juice.

"Well, it's quite the story actually." Heather ignored her friend's poor social skills and focused on a smiling J.T and an intrigued Vincent.

"We met the night I first moved in the sorority house and – well I was still a little lost back then, you know, not really knowing anyone yet and he was so nice to me! He was standing by the front yard the night I first saw him and he looked so handsome as the moon shone behind him. It was the perfect meeting and I felt like Shakespear's Juliet meeting her star-crossed lover. He introduced me to the rest of the girls, said he was visiting one of his friends in the house and was glad to come across _me_ instead – the newcomer - and then I guess with time, we – we just saw more of each other and just grew to know each other better and about three days ago he – well! Three days ago _asked me_. Finally, _he asked me out on a date!_"

Tess had long stopped listening to the story by the time Heather stopped talking but the rest of the students at the table all looked curiously at the younger Chandler, observing the pink hue on the girl's cheeks and the glow in her eyes, and then wondering if being in _such_ love, really existed or if Heather wasn't simply an overtly delusional drama-queen.

Deciding that Heather was simply from another realm and could sometimes make the worst and most improbable things possible, Catherine shook her head and smiled at her sister, looking up from her plate and catching Vincent staring at her. For a moment, she had to hold her breath because, if she hadn't known better, she could have sworn that it was longing and lust shinning in Vincent's deep brown eyes, especially when they all grew silent again and his chocolate brown orbs stared at her again, curiously so this time.

…...

_Time really flies_, she thought and a nostalgic smile appeared on her lips as she watched the blaze change into different subtle hues, pushing her yellowish novel to the side and scratching her tired eyes. By the time she was done and over with her week's assignments and her long shift as an intern at the precinct, it was already friday and as she sat by the fire place late that night, she tried to make sense of the few encounters she had had with the boys from the neighboring house.

It had only been a week since the whole _drunk-Vincent rescue_ and she hadn't seen much of the tall, dark and handsome boy. In fact, she hadn't talked to him at all. Unfortunately, their schedules simply didn't mesh and whenever he was home, she wasn't and whenever she was around, he wasn't.

She didn't like to admit it, but she wished she would have interacted more with the easy going and reserved Vincent, though she was happy to have ended up spending the most time with J.T. Not to mention that it was safe to say that the nerdy boy was slowly creeping up on her, surprising her with his generosity and his never ending awkwardness. It was funny how his chubby cheeks and his big round glasses made him look so much more innocent than he was, or how his very lame jokes never failed to make her laugh. It was always naturally easy with him, she never had to think much or reconsider her words and actions, she could be herself without a single care in the world and oh, how could she forget? They had almost identical schedules, therefore finding time to meet down by the front yard and chatter for long and soothing minutes.

And, _okay_, she wasn't as comfortable with J.T as she was with her favorite girls but what they had now was a pretty good start and she could feel the friendship coming to life, ever so slowly but surely.

Speaking of the devil, her phone buzzed and she startled in the stark silence of the large and dimly lit living-room. Her hand patted the leathered couch, landing on the device and she smiled when she checked the caller ID.

"Hey." She whispered as she took the call. "I was actually thinking of you."

J.T let out a piggy laugh and faked an exaggerated sigh.

"Ooooh – you were thinking of _me_? _Late at night..._ Oooh, you want to _marry_ me, don't you? You were thinking nasty, dirty little – "

"J.T." She chided with a quiet giggle.

"Okay. I have to admit, that was the worst joke on the face of the planet."

"No, you sounded quite crazy so I found it to be pretty funny."

"Nahh – you're just being nice to me 'cause I suck on the phone." He chuckled lightly and then sighed an authentic sigh and remained silent.

"What's wrong chubby Jay?" Catherine asked.

"Oh – so we're using nick names, now?" He teased.

"Yeah, well don't read too much into it. You're really _not_ that important."

"Ouch."

Catherine couldn't help but giggle at the sound of his goofy voice.

"All right, now." She whispered and tried to sound more serious. "Why are you calling at... two in the morning?"

"Well – I..."

He let out a shaky breath and she waited, giving him the time to speak comfortably.

"I was thinking of maybe, asking Tess out to the fair this weekend but – but I think Joe beat me to it."

Catherine's smile vanished as she listened to him babble awkwardly. She didn't know him that well just yet but she could tell that he was disappointed and that he didn't have much luck when it came to romance and girlfriends.

"... so would you maybe go with me?"

For awhile she gaped with her mouth open, her eyes never leaving the blaze facing her in the fireplace.

"What?" She asked spontaneously.

"Well, I just realized that we were the only ones left without a plus one, you know? So I thought we could stick together as friends?"

His voice sounded strained and somewhat wobbly and she felt sorry for him. She didn't tell him that though and smiled instead, agreeing to be his friend-date to the Halloween party at the fair and wishing him a good night.

…...

Saturday morning, she woke very late, remembering around eleven that she was on flower-duty and that she should have watered the lilies down in the front yard the morning before. So putting on her mushy sweater and her purple striped slippers, she rushed out of the sorority house, passing a few of the most snobbish girls on her way out and running right into a sleepy Alex.

"Hi!" The girl greeted her with a grin.

"Oh – hello." Catherine said uneasily, her eyes trailing down the side of the front yard and in the way of the little shed by the garage where she knew she could find the tools she needed to water and trim the white lilies.

"Hum – I'm sorry I don't have much time, I need to catch up on the gardening that I should have done yesterday already."

To her surprise, Alex shook her head frantically, her red locks bouncing as she did so.

"That's all right, it's no big deal and – and well, I guess I could help you?"

Catherine squinted her eyes at the girl, perking her ears because she wasn't sure she'd heard right.

"You know, I enjoy gardening very much and if you let me help you then we'll get a chance to chat a little, _get to know each other_." Alex looked extremely lively despite the dark rings and the sleepiness in her glassy blue eyes.

"Are you sure?" Catherine asked carefully.

"Yes." Alex beamed at her, a wide smile stretching her pink lips. "Very sure."

…...

It was awkward and she wished she'd eluded the whole thing or simply refused the help because Alex had been mortifyingly silent for what felt like hours when in fact, they'd barely spent five minutes inside the shed.

"I think I have all the tools I need." Catherine sighed contentedly, happy to break the deafening silence.

"Oh, great." Alex chirped and followed the short brunette out of the shed and towards the flowers lining the yard.

"So, Cat." Alex started tentatively. "How does your first month in the sorority house feel like so far?"

"Huh – good I guess. I mean, I'm not complaining."

The red-haired girl nodded frantically and grabbed the watering can that the brunette handed to her.

"Maybe you can water the lilies some more, while I trim the rest of the red poppies by the sidewalk." Catherine offered and Alex agreed.

"So that morning when Vincent showed up sick..." Alex winced as she tilted the heavy can, sending threads of water dripping down on the white flowers. "What happened exactly?"

"What do you mean?" Catherine craned her neck and stopped the cropping of the ill weeds surrounding the high poppies.

"I mean like – like are you and Vincent a thing at the moment?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Ugh... unbelievable." Catherine whispered through gritted teeth.

"What?" Alex squinted her eyes at her as she stood a few yards away, her head tilting slightly as she tried to make sense of the unintelligible things that Cat was saying under her breath.

"Nah, I was just saying: unbelievable! I mean, these weeds are _unbelievably_ high and persistent!" Catherine chirped out in fake enthusiasm.

In actuality, she'd simply grown to hate gardening. She didn't like the whole process of trimming, and bending over and having an aching back the following day and she was tired and hadn't had enough sleep, having gone to bed only after 2 am and - _wait_... or – or else, maybe it was just _Alex_ and her annoying questions which had changed the whole experience and rendered it somewhat _difficult_.

…...

After the gardening session, she'd been free, free to rush away from Alex and avoid the dreadful questions she still had in store for her and all of which pertained to Vincent one way or another. She seriously considered advising the girl to go see someone like a shrink because her obsession over the boy didn't seem healthy at all, but in the end, she realized she was better off without the drama of it all and figured she simply should stay out of what wasn't any of her business.

In her haste to leave the red-haired president, she hadn't even bothered going back inside to change into proper clothes and had walked to the fraternity house instead. When she reached the front porch, she took a deep breath before stepping ahead and landing a finger on the doorbell. As she waited impatiently by the little doormat in front of the entrance, she realized that the gardening gloves were still dangling from her sweater's pocket and when she raised her hands to her head, she felt her unruly hair, guessing that it was still a magnificent mess. Fortunately, she couldn't care much because she was almost certain that her new buddy J.T was going to pull the door open and that he couldn't care less about her clothes. And then together, they would chatter and laugh and goof around and by the end of the day, she'd be happy and ready to hit the Halloween party.

Her jaw dropped when Vincent appeared behind the large door.

"Hi!" He greeted her kindly, his eyebrows rising at the sight of her.

"Huh – hi?" She whispered uncomfortably, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden.

"I – I know I look..." She stammered as he looked her up and down. "I look like a mess."

"No, no you don't." He shook his head and licked his lips. "Cat, you look terribly _cute_."

_Okay_. So, what was she supposed to say to that?

"I saw you gardening with Alex, you two get along pretty well?" He leaned against the door frame casually, yawning and stretching an arm over his head.

She wanted to answer his question but her mouth remained shut as she watched his muscles flex under the white shirt. And the blue shorts happened to be boxers and now that she observed them carefully she realized that his toned legs were beyond _fine_ and that...

"Catherine Chandler, are you ogling me?" He asked archly, a light and enticing chuckle escaping his perfectly shaped mouth.

"What – No, not at all. I was just – just thinking, really." She stammered, her cheeks warming up suddenly and her palms starting to sweat.

"I'll take your word for it." He said simply and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, why did you wake me up? Causing me to tear away from my wonderfully comfortable bed?"

She fumbled with the hem of her dark sweater, looking elsewhere as she racked her brain for an answer, having completely forgotten about J.T.

"You were asleep?" She asked skeptically.

"No, not really." He chuckled and shook his head. "I was watching you trim the plants, actually."

She lifted up her head sharply, meeting his soft brown eyes and getting slightly lost in them.

"You were stalking or what?" She joked nervously and buried her hands in the pockets of her loose pajama pants.

"I just happen to notice a beautiful girl when I see one, that's all." He said casually and shrugged, stepping out and getting closer.

"And you should work on your reactions to compliments." He teased and dared pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "you haven't thanked me once for the courtesy by the way."

She moved backwards on instinct, wishing to escape his overwhelming proximity but her foot stumbled on the few steps facing the porch and which she had completely forgotten about and then she was loosing her balance, wincing as she fell back and away from Vincent.

Just as she thought she would hit the wooden stairs hard and injure herself, two strong arms held her back and she found herself pressed against his chest, her breath jerky and her legs still wobbly as she looked up at the caring brown eyes.

"Watch out." He whispered in a deep velvety voice. "I think I just about returned the favor by saving you from falling."

She wanted to pull away and readjust the sweater which was slipping up above her waist and allowing his warm and calloused hands to rest on her bare skin but he was smiling and the dimples in his cheeks had her hypnotized and helplessly enthralled.

"So, Catherine." He pulled at her sweater as he looked down at her, pushing her hair back into place and smiling archly. "Do I still owe you for taking care of me?"

"No." She choked out and eventually came to back to her sense, pushing herself off and carefully walking down the stairs. "You don't owe me at all and – well, please tell J.T. that I passed by."

"Well that's too bad." He mumbled playfully. "I was hoping you'd say the contrary so that I get to return the favor by – I don't know, offering you a cup of coffee or something but I guess it won't be happening."

She felt lost as he stared at her the same way he had the morning he woke up in her bedroom and she couldn't fathom the glint in his eyes as she looked up at them and noticed the mischievous smile on his face.

"I really need to get going." She said lamely and turned on her heels, running to the safety of the sorority house.

…...

She must have illy read the signs because Vincent was now asking Tori to accompany him to the fair as his date _and not her,_ despite the obvious flirting. And it was _no problem_, really, because she barely knew they guy and barely felt anything, it was simply lust and meaningless attraction, the kind of crush that comes and goes and never unfolds into anything more. But _still_, she couldn't understand why every time his brown eyes met hers, she felt a tiny little pang tug at her heart. And why was it that every time she looked at Tori, a certain feeling of unease crept through?

Decidedly, a little crush could be much more irritating than she'd thought and she would have to be extra careful and much more distant when they reach the fair, because she had to reconsider her priorities and straighten up. She was now a grown woman, she was twenty-five years old _for God's sake_, so she was more than capable of putting such a ridiculous occurrence behind her and move on. And that was exactly what she planned to do that night! Just _that_.

"Hey Cat! Are you done with the costume?" Her sister's voice reached her ears just as she pulled at the satin dress, its hem falling right above her knees.

"Yeah, just a second." Catherine bellowed from her bedroom and rushed to the closet, searching for her favorite combat boots.

"Hurry! Evan and Vincent just got here and Joe and J.T have been waiting long enough already." Heather whined as she passed by in the hall, her heels clicking against the wood-floor.

For a moment, Catherine gritted her teeth, trying to control the irritation which was slowly building up and transforming into anger. First they'd changed the whole thing because Heather loved Evan _so much_ that she needed him to be there, therefore ruining the whole _girls-only_ initial idea. But Catherine liked to think of herself as a flexible person and a good sister so she'd kept her mouth shut. But then less than a day later, Tess had found a way to settle her differences with Joe and Gabe from the neighboring house and had had the _not so wonderful initiative_ to invite the two idiots to go the fair, one of them coming as her official date. And _well_, last but not least, Tori had brought the finale blow to Catherine's depreciating mood by dropping the _bomb_ on her: she had a date too and that guy was – of course – none other than Vincent.

Now Catherine's two buddies for the night would have to be J.T and Gabe. Not that she disliked the guys – _well_, she did not particularly like Gabe, but she _did_ like J.T. In fact, she loved how goofy _he_ could be and enjoyed how carefree _she_ could get around him, yet that annoying voice kept nagging her in the back of her mind, reminding her that _he was not a date_, and that she was the only one out of the four girls, left without a plus one.

When she finally landed her hand on her favorite shoes, she had to gather all of the energy she had left not to let out her frustration on her wonderful and much beloved combat boots, slipping them on brutally and then proceeding to stand up and look at her reflection in the full length mirror facing Tori's bed.

She didn't like how helplessly feminine she looked, so she rummaged in the bathroom, looking for one of the few hair sticks she owned. Finding them tossed in a drawer, she used them to fix her hair, tying it up on the top of her head in a very messy bun. Then, feeling the top of the sink in search of her eye-liner and mascara, she brought the last touch of rebellion to her look, going for menacing and forbidding dark eyes, the brown eyeshadow looking to be in perfect harmony with the creamy brown of her bow dress.

_Now_, she thought with a smile. _Now_, she was ready to walk down the Goddamn mahogany stairs.

And if she had to do the whole _"only girl without a plus one"_ thing, _well – _she was going to do it like a boss...

* * *

**_I need to thank Sarah, Shaikhtanveer149, Patitocuac, DenisefromNY, Lauren61425 and Calyptra for the constant support. Thank you guys for reviewing continuously, it keeps me going – like you've no idea._**

**_Please, let me know what you thought of this sorry excuse of a chapter and if you're disappointed, just know that the next bit will be about the Halloween party and the fair, and things should be a lot better by then, I promise._**

**_Until next time, Oh-wonderful readers! :) Take care!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_Update: August, 23th 2014_

_Word Count: 4019_

_PS: I was and I'm still a little sick, so though I did read-proof this chapter, I'm pretty sure that there are still a lot of spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoy this despite all that :)_

* * *

**IV – Halloween (Part One)**

* * *

"Cat!" J.T exclaimed and Tess almost choked on the water she'd been drinking as Catherine came down the stairs.

The short brunette smiled in satisfaction at her friends' surprised looks, her pink lips stretching wildly as she cackled good-naturedly.

"J.T! I'm really glad to see you here but did you know you look ridiculous?" She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of his costume and he smiled sheepishly, looking down at his shoes.

"And Gabe! – _Really_?" She shook her head as she looked at the boy cladded in dark plastic.

"Why – I didn't have any costume so I thought I'd just throw on the stuff we use for the garbage can and see how things unfold." The lanky boy shrugged with a smile.

Catherine laughed good-heartedly.

"I'm Tommy from _Rugrats_, you know?" J.T chuckled nervously as the rest of his friends eyed him suspiciously.

"Shut up!" Catherine exclaimed with a laugh. "I used to _love_ this cartoon."

J.T's eyes lit up as Catherine raised her hand, grabbing the pacifier hanging around his neck and studying it playfully.

"I knew that at least one person would appreciate my efforts." He stated proudly and smiled down at her.

"Good job." Catherine giggled and let go of the pacifier to look him up and down.

He wore jeans coveralls with only his underwear under them and looked so cute and funny at the same time that she couldn't believe her eyes, especially when they landed on the bright blue snickers adorning his feet.

"Okay." Vincent's voice interrupted her gawking as he and Tori emerged out of the kitchen, the red-haired girl holding dearly onto his arm. "Are we all here and ready to go?"

Catherine wondered at the sight of a red-cladded Tori, looking mesmerizingly beautiful with bright red lipstick emphasizing her lips and dark eyeshadow covering her eyelids. Thin and black stilettos adorned her feet wonderfully and Catherine almost felt jealous as she remembered that Vincent, dressed in an undeniably neat tuxedo, would be hers for the night. She even felt her heart beat slightly faster at the sight of his happy face, his sleek hair coiffed to perfection and his dark eyes sparkling as he stared down at her dress.

It took a little while for him to speak and Tori nudged him in the ribs, raising her eyebrows suggestively before something flickered in his eyes, realization hitting him.

"Catherine." He nodded politely. "You look _beautiful_."

Catherine felt somewhat confused because not only had he been ogling her, but he had also looked quite nervous and seemed to be acting strange while Tori nodded excitedly, agreeing with the statement and dazzling Catherine with her pearly white teeth as she smiled.

The short brunette returned the smiles and thanked Vincent as politely as she could and then with a heavy sigh, she ignored the nagging feeling of bitterness and loneliness quite successfully, turning around to witness Heather tumbling down the stairs with her boyfriend, Evan, in toe.

"Oh, Cat!" Heather gasped as she strutted towards her sister. "You look stunning and – and scary at the same time! How did you come up with that costume?"

"I was thinking of a twisted version of _Beauty_ from the Disney classic." Catherine shrugged nonchalantly. "My Belle is a kick-ass vampire hunter!"

The rest of her friends arched their eyebrows looking at her attire again but she was quick to retrieve the fake stake from the umbrella stand by the front door. She had bought it the night before in a toy-store and she'd loved how authentic it looked – though carved in actual wood, it looked sharp and deadly but for safety measures it wasn't sharp enough to be an actual weapon.

"OH MY GOD!" Tess exclaimed. "I knew I should have gone shopping with you instead of _Heather and Tori_."

Catherine chuckled as she looked at her friend, observing her attire for the first time that night. The dark-skinned girl wore a leather cat-woman costume which – in Catherine's opinion – was way too tight but which still made the girl look deadly gorgeous.

"Let me guess." Catherine let out a mocking chuckle. "Tori was the one helping you pick this thing up?"

Tori laughed at the comment and Tess let her shoulders slump down significantly, pulling at an amused Joe and leading him out of the house.

"Common, you guys. The place is going to be full by the time we're there." Tess advised as she walked out with her boyfriend in toe.

Catherine turned around and noticed that, except for J.T and Evan, the rest of the boys had simply put on their favorite tuxedos, adding only a plastic gun to the whole attire and then some pitch black sunglasses, because they pretended to be the MIB.

Heather had on a slick pristine white dress with a ribbon in the back and a crown over her head, so Catherine guessed that she was a princess while Evan – who smiled kindly at her as they made their way to Heather's car parked by the house – had on the perfect medical attire, with scrubs even and then a stethoscope around his neck.

"Nice costume, doctor..." Catherine said amicably and hopped in the passenger seat.

"Does that mean you approve of your sister and I's relationship?" He was quick to ask in his thick british accent.

"Maybe." Catherine smirked at him as she watched his reflection in the rear-view mirror.

"I'll take that as a yes." Evan chuckled happily and put on his seat-belt.

...…...

The place was awfully crowded, and several of the people attending the party had the most frightening costumes, sometimes atrocities which she'd never even thought existed, so in hoping to find some sort comfort in her friend, she strengthened her grip on J.T's arm, whispering in his ear as they advanced through the thick heap of people swarming the park.

"Have you seen the guy with the chainsaw and the white punched mask?"

J.T felt a shiver run down his spine as he followed Catherine's eyes, looking in the direction she had pointed at.

"Hell, this place is freaking creepy." He whispered as his hand rested on hers, right over his arm.

"Yeah, and there's such people! We'll never get to try the high roller-coaster." She whimpered and rested her cheek against his chubby arm.

"Enough with the whining, you guys." Tori chided with a flick of her wrist. "We're going to have plenty of fun. It's normal for the entrance to the park to be crowded but once we're actually inside, there'll be more space to move about and we'll get to try a whole lot of rides."

"Yeah, and I happen to know one of the guys working at the high roller-coaster so you _will_ get your ride, Catherine." Vincent assured with a grin, his hand surreptitiously reaching out for hers and giving it a little squeeze.

Did he have the ears of a gawk? Because she was pretty sure that her whispering was hardly audible, she thought as she craned her neck around, looking him in the eye. She had almost jumped at the feel of his calloused hand holding hers but managed not to startle nonetheless, gently pushing the hand away instead and focusing on J.T again.

"We should split up." She said casually, her eyes tearing away from her companion and then looking up at the rest of her friends.

"We can meet where there's less people." She said loudly over the cacophony of voices surrounding them.

"Sounds good to me." Tess agreed enthusiastically and pulled at Joe's arm. "Common, darling, let's get to the T_unnel of Love_, I've always wanted to try it with a guy."

"We're going to the Ferris Wheel!" Heather exclaimed as Evan lead her away.

"All right, hey!" Vincent called out to the short brunette as Tori pulled him away. "Hey, Cat!"

Just as she turned around, his hand gripped hers briefly and she looked up at his soft brown eyes, feeling his warm touch and stiffening slightly at the effect it had on her body.

"Meet me at the Grand Carousel by the Drop Towers." He said in a rush.

"When?" Her mouth asked before she could even think her actions through.

"Eleven!" He cried out just as his fingers slipped away from hers and he vanished in the thick mob.

And then there were only three of them, J.T, Gabe and Catherine standing in the middle of the crowd and wondering in which direction they should go.

"Damn it you guys." Gabe growled as he pulled at their wrists, dragging them away and towards the Cotton Candy cart. "We're the freaking third wheels, we'll be forever _alone_."

"Oh shut your face, garbage bag. We don't need no freaking lover to have fun." J.T mumbled proudly. "Right, Cat?"

Catherine took a deep breath and raised her hand for a high five.

"You bet!"

Their hands clapped loudly and then they fist bumped childishly, laughing and shuffling away from the constraining amount of people swarming the entrance. And then, to Catherine, it was official; J.T was her newly acquired best friend and _Gabe_... _well_, it seemed that Gabe was the _actual_ third wheel... _poor thing_.

…...

"I am not going inside that _thing_!" J.T was stamping his foot like a child, having a little fit and Catherine couldn't hold it in anymore, she burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she bent down.

"Don't laugh at me!" J.T complained and pouted his lower lip, only worsening the situation and causing Catherine to double over in laughter.

"Man." Gabe sighed exasperatedly. "You've been saying the same thing about every damn ride we've wanted to try so far. What's wrong with you?"

"I just – I told you, I have stomach issues so I can't go on the crazy rides."

"What about the madhouse and the Haunted House, huh? It's just a bunch of costumes and fake blood and you don't get to be thrown upside down – stuck in a freaking seat." Gabe's face lit up as he hoped for the chubby boy to be cooperative.

"Let me think about this for a minute." J.T said with a polite nod.

Catherine stopped laughing eventually and straightened, stretching her back and arching an eyebrow as she looked up at the disguised baby boy.

"How abooooout – huuuuh – NO, no, no and – Oh did I mention no?"

Gave let out a loud growl and tore his plastic costume apart.

"I'm done!' He cried out. "I'm breaking up with you two – whatever this threesome date thing is? Well, I'm gone."

Holding his head high and nodding one last time, Gave turned in the opposite direction, strutting away and muttering unintelligible things under his breath.

And Catherine was laughing again, so much so that she had to bend down again and hold her aching stomach as she struggled to breath.

…...

"This is nice." Catherine said enthusiastically and took a sip from her vanilla milkshake.

"No, it's not." J.T was pouting as he took a sip from his strawberry milkshake. "This is why girls don't ever like me. They don't want a coward as their boyfriend."

They were sat inside the milkshake bar displayed at the far back of the park where the kids' rides were prominent and where the majority of the clientele were families.

"You're not a coward." Catherine said reassuringly and put her hand on his, smiling softly.

Just as he looked up at her, a five year-old passed by screaming that _"the man in coveralls is a big baaaaaby!"_

J.T huffed and tripped the little boy, causing him to stumble away and fall flat on his tummy. Cat held in a laughter as she watched the child holler, rising to his feet and running to his parents. And as he gripped his mother's hand, he turned around and glared at her and J.T ominously.

"Cat. I've been unable to try any of the rides." J.T said ghastly and cast his head down shamefully, hoping that the little boy would eventually stop glaring.

"It doesn't bother me." She chuckled lightly and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Of course, it doesn't, you're like my second Vincent so you don't see me in – in _that_ light, you know?"

"Yeah huh, what you're saying is getting lost in translation." She huffed and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What I mean is, I'm in the friend zone with you so of course you don't care what I look like or how lame I can be."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Is! "

"Isn't!"

"Fucking NO, Cat!"

She startled and almost choked on her drink as his eyes widened and his voice grew incredibly louder.

"Fine, you're right, you happy? No need to attack me." Catherine rolled her eyes and settled back in her chair.

"Sorry." He whispered uneasily. "I'm just really lame when it comes to social skills, you know?"

"Let's talk about something else then." She said casually and bent over the table. "Do you like to gossip, J.T?"

"Well – I wouldn't scream it from the rooftops but yeah, sometimes I do."

"Great!" Catherine clapped her hands silently and smirked at him, thinking of a million questions she could be asking him about – well, very probably questions pertaining to Vincent.

"All right, so there are a few things I'd like to ask you." Catherine started excitedly.

"I want to ask you a bunch of things too." J.T chirped, raising a finger and preventing her from saying more. "Let's start with Tori, what's the story with her broken wrist?"

Catherine sighed audibly but proceeded to answer the question nonetheless.

"She doesn't like to talk about it but – apparently she fell at one of her Tennis lessons."

"That's what she said?" J.T wondered, surprised by her answer.

"Yeah, why? What makes you so – so astonished?" Catherine frowned as she observed her friend, feeling quite intrigued.

"Cat." He started in a serious voice, his eyes looking very sincere. "I saw her the day it happened – I saw _it_."

Catherine bent closer, eager to her the rest of the story.

"So?"

"So, she _lied_ to you. It was and older man, big and stout and scary! He grabbed her wrist and twisted it and then she screamed and I walked away."

"Oh my God! You can't be serious." Catherine put a hand over her mouth, feeling shocked and relatively stupid for not realizing that Tori was in trouble.

"I'm afraid I am, Cat." J.T slurred and gulped the rest of his drink. "I'm very serious. And unless I'm wrong, the guy must have been either her father or else some older boyfriend."

"Oh my God." Catherine sighed audibly, her hands holding her temples as she pondered. "Oh my God!"

"I've always wanted to mention it but there never seemed to be a good time to do so and I didn't want to embarrass her." J.T explained and shrugged casually. "Besides I don't think there really is anything any of us can do to help, is there?"

"There is a whole lot of things that we can do! Of course, we can help her." Catherine huffed and stood from her chair, pulling at her slightly wrinkled dress and then proceeding to drink the rest of her milkshake in one gulp.

"What – what are you doing – where are you going?" J.T stammered as she walked away.

He jumped up to his feet, throwing a twenty dollar bill on the pink-candy colored table and stumbled awkwardly as he rushed after her.

…...

"This is is a very bad idea. I just thought you should know." J.T mumbled as they approached the Haunted House.

"Tori just answered my text and said to meet up here." Catherine rolled her eyes as she heard anxiousness in his voice.

"Well, what exactly are you going to say to her?" J.T asked worriedly and started picking at his fingernails.

"Nothing." Catherine turned around to look at her a friend, a sigh escaping her mouth and indicating that she had started to feel irritated by the boy's complaints.

"You're weird." J.T pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Yeah, so are you." Catherine mocked him and batted her eyelashes in an overtly ridiculous fashion.

"Oh, stop it, will you?" He mumbled and shook his head as he walked ahead and towards the entrance to the dark wooden house.

The wood-floor cracked loudly as he stepped onto the ghastly porch, covered in dust and webs.

"Two tickets, please." Catherine said to the dark-cladded executioner standing by the front door as she walked up the porch stairs.

J.T sighed at the sight of the ugly-looking man holding a large two-edged axe over his shoulder.

"That'll cost you twenty dollars." The man's voice sounded terribly grim and both Catherine and J.T winced as they heard him speak for the first time.

With shaky a hand, J.T handed the man a twenty dollar bill.

The man's features contorted but neither Catherine nor J.T could see through the thick fabric hiding his face. Letting out a light chuckle, the ghastly man tucked the money in the old-fashioned purse dangling from his wrist and then reaching inside his dark jeans' pocket, he pulled out what looked to be a small square pad and tore two tickets off.

Catherine grabbed the two pieces of paper he offered and stepped back, taking in the man's general appearance. He seemed to be very well built as the dim light of the bulb hanging overhead produced just enough lighting for her to scrutinize him. The worn black tee-shirt and the black cape gave enough edge for him to look deadly but the balaclava had to be the key element as it concealed his face and only let his bright blue eyes appear through the two tiny slits.

"Well," the man chuckled as he pulled the large door open, its hinges releasing a sickening creaking noise. "_may you_ come back out, safe and sound."

J.T almost passed out when the brooding blue eyes stared at him but Catherine was quick to grab his wrist, pulling at him and forcing him to slip inside the pitch black interior.

"What if they're not even here?" He whispered and held her hand fearfully.

Just as Catherine opened her mouth to speak, her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her boot.

"Look." She ordered and raised the phone, sliding her thumb across its screen. "It's Tori. She says that they're in the first floor of the house."

J.T sighed audibly and squeezed her hand.

"Can you keep your phone on, please? I can barely see anything."

"There's a little bit of light coming from the outside though so this isn't actually pitch black darkness." Catherine remarked as her eyes adjusted to the her surroundings.

"I don't care, I'm not moving inside this place with no light at all." J.T complained in a strangled whisper.

"Fine." Catherine whispered exasperatedly and held up the phone, using its flashlight to light the large entry hall.

The interior was anything and everything J.T feared. All the furniture had been covered with grey colored sheets, making the place look deserted and except for the front door's large porthole, each of the windows had been sealed off.

"Great." J.T mumbled. " Just great! This place looks like my grandmother's abandoned home."

"J.T, this is all just a game! It's only for fun." Catherine chided with a chuckle.

"No, if anything, this is murderers' wonderland! We could bleed to death and I bet everyone would think it's ketchup and then no one would come help us and – "

"Oh shut up, J.T!" Catherine chided exasperatedly. "Comm'on!" She ordered and pulled at his wrist, walking ahead and towards the rounding stairs leading to the first floor. "I _really_ need to talk to Tori."

"I swear to God Cat, if anything bad happens I'm going to wet my pants." J.T sighed and followed her up to the first floor.

…...

"Which way do we go?" J.T asked when they reached the top of the stairs.

Before them stretched two long corridors, pointing in opposite directions and as Catherine raised the phone to light up the walls, she cringed at the sight of the decrepit wallpaper flaking off and falling to the floor in several grey little pieces resembling ash and burnt residue.

"Tori! Vincent?!" She called out but was only answered by the echo of her own voice.

"Cat, I have a bad feeling about all this. Call them with your phone, if we hear a ringtone we'll know they're hiding somewhere here." J.T advised with nod.

"Sure, that's a good idea." Catherine agreed and obliged.

Soon after she pressed the dial button, they heard Tori's ringtone reverberate throughout one of the two corridors and followed the sound immediately.

"Why are they doing this to us? It's really not funny." J.T mumbled as they advanced slowly.

"Don't look inside the different rooms, just follow the ringtone, we'll get to have fun later, right now we need to find them." Catherine said with a chuckle when J.T gagged at the sight of one of the open doors flanking the corridor.

"Like I'm ever having fun in this ugly place." J.T huffed and rushed after her, afraid of being left alone.

"Shoot." Catherine let out a moan as she tried to open the door behind which the sound was coming from.

"It's locked, isn't it?" J.T gasped and leaned against the wall to control his breathing, he hated Halloween and the pranks that people liked to pull off on such occasions.

"Tori?!" Catherine called and knocked on the thick wooden door. "Tori, please let us in, we need to talk and – and I'm very serious."

"Yes and please don't prank me you guys, I might just have a heart attack and die, _literally_." J.T warned fearfully and nocked on the door too.

The creaking door yielded open eventually and the two friends stepped back cautiously as it revealed a pitch dark room. Carefully, Catherine held up her phone to peer inside but just as the white rigid halo landed on a face, J.T let out a deafening shriek and before she had the time to react, a warm calloused hand was pressing her mouth shut and she was being dragged away and back to the stairs.

After a few seconds of initial panic, she raised her elbow high enough to hit her assailant in the ribs, causing him to let go of her and moan audibly. Raising her phone up in a swift gesture, she was surprised to see a familiar face squinting at her.

"Vincent?" She croaked out in surprise but he was quick to put his finger on his lips, silently begging her not to make any more noise.

"What's happening?" She whispered and lowered her phone. "Vincent, what's going on?"

For a moment, the boy remained silent but as soon as a wounded Tori appeared at the end of the hall, being held by a tall and stout man, Catherine realized that neither of them had time to explain anything. Already a few specks of blood had started to appear on the girl's pale white skin, the dark man pressing a four-inch kitchen knife down on her neck.

* * *

_**I know, I suck. I haven't updated in a month. I was on vacation and didn't have access to my laptop for about two weeks, and then I fell sick and couldn't work to save my life, I haven't even gotten anything done for grad-school either and now I feel like crap.**_

_**Well. Hopefully you won't dislike this chapter as much as I do. It's tricky anyway, because it's Halloween and they're in the Haunted House, you might wonder if the end of the chapter is serious or not...**_

_**I'll let you think about it.**_

_**As usual, please let me know what you think and hang in there while I work on the following chapter?**_

_**Until next time, wonderful readers!**_

_**- Nemi.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Update: October, 11th 2014_

_Word Count: 4676_

_PS: I'm tired as heck and no one read-proves my writing so please, __please_ ignore the spelling mistakes here and there.

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

**IV – Halloween (Part Two)**

* * *

J.T dropped to the floor dramatically, his breathing growing short and cramped. He put a hand on his heart as he watched the man tighten his grip around Tori's frail shoulders.

Catherine tip-toed towards them, her hands rising up to indicate that she meant no harm.

"Please." She begged with a shy step forwards and towards the strange man. "I'm sure this can be fixed so _please_, don't hurt her."

"Stop!" The man ordered. "Don't come any closer or else I'll slit her throat open!"

Catherine felt her heart sink inside her chest, her stomach churning uncontrollably at the sight of the thin trickle of blood running down Tori's bare collarbone.

"Please." She begged again, her voice sounding feeble and shaky.

The man tilted his head to the side, seemingly debating whether he should listen to her plea and J.T gasped audibly as he scrutinized the man's clothes. The staff member who had welcomed them downstairs was dressed in a black cloak and wore a balaclava too, he remembered and felt his heart-rate turn frantic.

"Oh my GOD!" J.T exclaimed. "You're him! You're the psycho-executioner!"

Catherine cringed at the man's posture too, staring fearfully at the thick fabric concealing his face and preventing them from possibly recognizing him.

"Good guess, _baby boy_." The man said in good humor and nodded strangely, as if to signal or warn someone.

And then Catherine felt her breath hitch in her throat, her heartbeat being the only thing she could hear over J.T's screams and Vincent's cursing.

The man had driven the knife across Tori's neck within the blink of an eye and the blood dripping in profusion seemed to come out of nowhere as it emerged on the girl's throat, soaking her dress and reaching the floorboards faster than Catherine deemed possible.

"No." Was all she could utter. "No – no, no, no."

As soon as the initial moment of shock and panic left her, she sprang up, glaring threateningly at the dark-cladded man. He barely looked at her before taking off in the other direction, running at breakneck speed and laughing uncontrollably as he did so.

Catherine rushed after him, ignoring Vincent's calls and J.T's sobbing. She ran off as fast as she could, her brown boots clanking loudly against the old and worn parquet floor. They ran through different rooms, crashed into furniture and let out several cries and moans as they struggled to move about the dark place until the man reached the way out which he had been looking for. He craned his neck around as he rounded the corner leading them back to the corridor they'd initially come from and with a sickening snigger, he bolted down the stairs and towards the first floor.

Catherine let out an angry cry as she ran after him, jumping over the last four steps and tackling the man to the ground. She fell over him and they crashed hard against the weak floorboards, cracking them open and slipping down and under to the basement.

The amount of dust and dirt was such that for a few seconds, she forgot about Tori's assailant, coughing for air and feeling around in the dark. She felt her wrist ache as she tried to prop herself up but ignored the pain when her fingers caught onto a shirt collar.

"Who the hell are you! What do you want with my friends?" She croaked out and coughed uncontrollably, feeling ridiculous and sounding barely threatening.

The man moaned and coughed but for some strange reason, it sounded as if he were laughing still and enjoying himself.

"What's wrong with you?!" Catherine exclaimed and scrunched up her noise in disgust.

"You're quite the _cop-to-be,_ aren't you?" The man whispered playfully and giggled.

Catherine was about to retort when the familiar voices called her name.

"Oh, shit!" She heard Tori exclaim. "Shit, shit, shit! Are you guys all right? _Dad_, are you injured?"

"Yeah, I think we're good!" The man answered with a chuckle.

"Wait – what? You're her _father_?" Catherine felt very much frustrated all of a sudden. "Hold on a minute – OH MY GOD!"

She heard the familiar voices discuss her reaction to the whole prank as laughters erupted inside the dark house and she had to clench her hands in fists to control her ragged breathing.

"You assholes!" She cried out. "You damned assholes! I can't believe you actually did this to me?!"

…...

"Come on Cat, take my hand, I'll pull you back up." Vincent said kindly as he bent down and extended his hand.

"No!" She shook her head frantically, staring up angrily at the tall boy who smirked at her. "You planned this along with Torri! I can't belive it!" She huffed again when he chuckled mockingly, she was intent on not letting him help her in any way. "Go away!" She moaned. "I'll pull myself up."

"Don't be ridiculous, Cat." Vincent chided with a teasing smirk. "Come on, take my hand."

For a moment she simply glared at him as she remained sat in the dark hole below.

"Is this even an actual basement?" She asked with a another huff and tried to look about, squinting at the darkness around her.

"Yes. It's called a short basement so it's less than five foot deep." Vincent explained with a nod and rolled his eyes as she proceeded to climb up on her own.

"You really are hotheaded, huh?" Vincent snickered as she hauled herself out with notable difficulty.

"Shut up." Was her smart response.

"Are you all right, Cat?" J.T asked as soon as she rose up to her feet. "I didn't know about the prank either, I thought I was going to die!"

"Looked like it, yeah." Catherine agreed and failed to hold in a giggle.

J.T had big puffy eyes, bloodshot and irritated. His hair looked a mess and he still had his hand over his heart as he gaped at an amused Catherine.

"Well, this ought to make me the coolest father of the century." Tori's father remarked and extended his hand towards Catherine, waiting for her to shake it.

For a few seconds the short brunette remained petrified but a nudge from Vincent caused her to step ahead and take the man's hand.

"You know you can call me Curt." The forty year-old man said kindly.

"I'm Catherine. Glad to meet you – huh, _Curt_." Catherine nodded politely. "And about that whole tackling you thing, well – I'm really sorry." She added uneasily and smiled nervously.

"That was quite the experience, young lady. I actually had a lot of fun." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and winked at his daughter.

"Thanks dad! That was the best prank ever! You and Catherine were hilarious." Tori bent down and laughed uncontrollably.

"You, schmuck!" Catherine mumbled and shoved the laughing girl. "I'll get my revenge! I swear to God, Tori! I'll get you real good!"

…...

"I can't believe you filmed the whole thing!" J.T hollered ridiculously when Gabe pulled his camera open, watching the short clip for the second time that night.

"Oh, God! We look _pathetic_." Catherine mumbled begrudgingly.

"Yeah, you sure do." Gabe chuckled as he sat down over the few steps by the Haunted House.

"Oh, shut up! I'd like to see you react to such a prank!" J.T complained.

"So, when you had your little fit and said some stupid thing about getting away from us, you were only planning to join Tori and Vincent at the Haunted House, right?" Catherine asked with a lop-sided smile.

Gabe looked down at her for a second, his eyes sparkling as the near porch light reflected on his dark eyes.

"Exactly," he nodded enthusiastically, "and I'm glad I did, this whole thing was epic."

"Pshhh..." J.T waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure it's nothing compared to the other pranks done on campus these days! And, _please_, Gabe! Catherine and I were most definitely not _that_ ridiculous."

"No, no – Gabe's right. You guys looked stupid as hell." Vincent nodded and nudged Catherine playfully.

"Will you please keep that ugly mouth of yours shut?" Catherine said with a teasing smirk.

Vincent chuckled and shook his head. Nudging the girl's shoulder again with his own, he craned his neck and looked her in the eye, remembering how close the two of them were. One of his hands was resting over her lap and some of his short cropped hair tickled the side of her neck as he bent closer. Because Catherine was squeezed in between him and Gabe, Vincent had to look over her shoulder to be able to see the short film in the camera screen and much to his enjoyment, _that_ gave him an excuse to get much closer than necessary. Of course, Catherine seemed to have noticed but as she stared right back at him and with that unmistakable grin of hers, he knew and was positive that she must have appreciated the proximity just as much as he did.

"Don't be mean, Cat." He chided playfully and poked her little nose.

She flustered for a second, feeling light-headed as her brain grew fuzzy and confused.

"I was just – just joking." She spoke uneasily, her cheeks burning as she looked away, anywhere but at these mesmerizing hazel orbs of his.

"I know." He said simply and rested his chin on her shoulder, full lips stretching into a mischievous smile.

"Hey, guys! Where did you get all that fake blood anyway?!" J.T wondered loudly and shook Tori's shoulder as he sat a step down the little porch stairs.

The boy's loud voice tore Catherine out of her troubling thoughts, forcing her to inhale deeply and block all the warm and sizzling feelings radiating from Vincent's close proximity. The chirpiness in J.T's voice was a relief and she managed to avoid her crush's intent stare but if there had been enough light, not only Vincent but the rest of her friends too would have noticed her cheeks blushing wildly.

"It's the plastic knife, it had a tiny little blood bag stuck to it." Curt said good-naturedly and stood up, stretching his tired limbs.

"How would you feel about a little dance, huh? After all this nonsense, I was thinking a little bit of romance would feel pretty nice." Curt offered with a shrug and the five students simply stared up at him.

"Oh, common! You're young and – and beautiful! You should be enjoying the dance floor!" He bent down and pulled at his daughter's uninjured wrist while the rest of her friends remained silent.

"You know what? You have no choice, I'm dragging you to the Romantic Garden near the Tunnel of Love." The forty year-old man grabbed Catherine's wrist as well, pulling her up to her feet and causing her to gasp loudly.

"Curt." Vincent mumbled as he stood up.

For a moment Catherine remained petrified, dreading the boy's reaction.

"I think you're right. That's a great idea!" Vincent nodded enthusiastically, his eyes darting Catherine's way. "Let's go, you guys, we need to swing a little."

J.T groaned audibly when Vincent dragged him by the collar and Gabe barely had to the time to sigh before being pushed forward and away from the Haunted House.

"Are we going to join Heather and Tess and their _very loving_ boyfriends?" Catherine complained as they left the porch.

"No, this is all about friendship." Tori winked at her and linked her arm through hers. "Like we agreed to two weeks ago. Remember?"

Catherine felt her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"So, you and Vincent? I mean – aren't you two, like on a date-date tonight? Doesn't that ruin the whole friendship thingy?" She asked shyly.

"_Me_ and Vincent?!" Tori exclaimed. "No! You silly! We would never mesh. This was all about the prank. It's the reason why we agreed to a friend-date, so that we could surprise you and J.T."

"Oh – Oh, all right." Catherine felt dumb all of a sudden. "I just thought for a second that you were going to be in a relationship."

"No – no, no absolutely not." Tori answered hastily, her eyes looking away from Catherine and towards J.T in a strange fashion. "We – uh – _I_ like someone else."

"Oh – " Catherine nodded, barely interested before realization hit her. "Oh God!" She gasped suddenly and giggled as her friend craned her neck around, looking at the four males walking a few yards behind them.

"It's J.T, isn't it?" The short brunette could barely hold in the excitement as Tori's cheeks grew a visible shade of red.

"What – what do you mean?" The red haired girl stammered in shame.

"I mean you like _him_. You really really like J.T!" Catherine giggled again and squeezed her friend's hand.

"I don't know what you mean." Tori whispered quietly and looked behind her again, as if to make sure that the rest of the boys hadn't heard Catherine and her's conversation.

"Oh, honey – hahaha- you are _so_ whipped." Catherine sniggered uncontrollably at the sight of an embarrassed Tori.

"Oh, shut up! I am not!." Was the redhead's response.

"Well, if this conversation makes you uncomfortable, I'll change the subject. I want to ask you about your wrist. How exactly did it brake again?" Catherine tilted her head to the side as she studied her friend's reaction, recalling J.T's revelation earlier that night.

"I really don't feel like talking about it." Tori sighed audibly and let her shoulders drop dramatically.

"You're right, I shouldn't ruin the night by bringing up the sad stuff. But just so you know?" Catherine squeezed the girl's arm affectionately. "I'm here if you need anything and – and I do worry about you."

"I know, Cat... I _know_." Tori smiled gratefully.

Maybe she was letting go of the whole wrist debacle and the lying for the night, Catherine thought, but she did not intend to forget about any of it. Surely, when the right time comes she would ask her again.

…...

"Can I please borrow your date for a dance?" Tori looked cuter than she ever did before, embarrassment visible in her facial expression.

"I'm not sure." Catherine teased her with an evil smirk.

"Catherine's not the boss of me." J.T interrupted the two girls' discussion. "You can have me if you want." He shrugged nonchalantly and passed a hand over his forehead, seemingly trying to hide his distress.

"You know, you don't look cool, right now. You look dorky as hell." Catherine said archly as she looked up at him.

"Shut up." Tori and J.T spoke at the same time, their cheeks blushing as they glanced at each other, amused by the their simultaneous replies.

"Oh, why am I even asking _you_?" Tori exclaimed in exasperation and stuck her tongue out at Catherine. "He's coming with or without your blessing." She added and grabbed J.T's hand, pulling him away and towards the dance floor.

Catherine let her shoulders slump down significantly, annoyed by the obvious attraction the two of her friends felt for each other, because though she was happy for them she still _envied_ them. She craved such an easy and quick way to find that spark everyone loved to gush about. And as she turned on her heels, meaning to leave them alone, she ran right into a tall man, her forehead hitting his chest and causing her to stumble awkwardly.

"Cat?" Vincent sounded surprised as he put his hands on her arms, steadying her and apologizing for the little incident. "You're okay, right?"

She looked up at him for a moment and noticed the way his face twinkled as the disco ball hanging overhead reflected several sparkling spots down on the dance floor. He smiled softly and ran his hands down her bare arms, letting go of her and nodding slightly towards something behind her.

"I'm fine, yeah but – what are you..?" She started as she turned around, following his gaze.

And then she saw _her_. Feeling somewhat confused and annoyed, Catherine recognized Alex with her bright red hair. She was like a goddess among the mortal flock, all the men craned their necks around as she passed by, wondering at her beauty and sometimes even whistling ridiculously to catch her attention... but in vain, the girl only had eyes for Vincent, it seemed.

She was weaving her way through the mob, pushing several people aside with such ease and grace, her long and bright side ponytail causing her to stand out among the dancing crowd. And Catherine easily guessed it must have been her, the person which Vincent was nodding at enthusiastically and in that sad short moment she wished that she could simply leave or ignore the girl all together.

"Hi! How are you guys doing! I knew I'd run into you at some point!" Alex chirped loudly as soon as she reached them, pushing a few locks of hair behind her ear and smiling sweetly at them.

"Hi." Vincent nodded her way again, politely so.

Catherine smiled as nicely as she could, feeling stifled by the girl's inquisitive eyes.

"So..." Alex slurred playfully. "Are you two here on a date?"

"Actually..." Catherine started but couldn't find the right words to speak a coherent sentence because Vincent's hand was sneaking round her back, swiftly and gently before it landed on her waist.

He was pulling her close to his side, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over her satin dress and she was at a loss. Decidedly, the mere thought of him touching her had too much effect over her and now that the two of them were in such a predicament, she felt weak and dizzy, as if she had no control whatsoever over her body, yet she had to admit that she couldn't possibly wish for his hand to leave her waist.

Alex stiffened visibly when Vincent's hand reached further and curled around Catherine's hipbone, holding her firmly against him.

"Yeah we're – here on our first date." Vincent smiled and shrugged casually.

Catherine felt her heart start racing as her eyes grew twice their size.

_What the hell are you saying?_ She wanted to ask but before she had the chance to speak her mind, Vincent's head bent down to her level and in a very quick gesture, the boy kissed her cheek, lingering a moment too long as his lips curled up against her skin.

"_Please, please play along. I'll explain everything later._" He whispered in her ear, his breath warm and teasing against her neck.

"What was that?" Alex asked, her voice dripping with annoyance.

Vincent froze and Catherine could feel his body growing tense as he looked from the redhead to her, his eyes begging for help.

"He was – hum, well – " Catherine stammered nervously. "Vincent was just saying that we should probably get to the dance floor." She nodded amicably as Alex squinted her eyes at them.

For a moment the red-haired girl remained silent and contemplative while Catherine and Vincent waited awkwardly for her to speak her mind.

"You know what you guys?" Alex chirped out joyfully, the anxiousness gone from her mystifying green eyes. "That's a great idea! Yeah! - Let's dance!"

She fist bumped the air, let out a loud "whoop" and grabbed the two of them by the hand, pulling them away from each other and towards the dance-floor.

…...

She was definitely going to regret agreeing to pretending with Vincent that the two of them were a couple, she was so sure of that she could feel the upcoming disappointment already. Or maybe it must have been Alex and her obnoxiously provocative attitude gnawing at her nerves? She couldn't make her mind up but either way she was growing irritated and frustrated by the second.

Vincent looked utterly embarrassed as the redhead wrapped her arms around his waist, rocking to the beat of the music and grinning up at him as if they were alone on the dance-floor. In the meantime, Catherine swayed awkwardly to the song less than a feet away from them, her eyes drilling holes in the tall girl's head. Surely the uncomfortable situation would end soon because she knew she would go over the edge the moment Alex would make her penultimate move on Vincent.

"I need a break!" Vincent cried out over the loud music. "I'm going to stay out for a little bit." He added and proceeded to unwrap Alex's arms way from his waist.

"Yeah, I think I'll leave too. This is isn't exactly my scene." Catherine bellowed as she walked away, her frustration growing visible as she grimaced.

A fast paced Nicki Minaj song started the moment Catherine reached the exit and she huffed, hating the loud and annoying beat as much as she did the lyrics. The outside air was a delight compared to the heavy and sweat-filled smells of the interior so she looked up to the starless sky and inhaled deeply. No more than a second later though, Vincent dashed out of the building closely followed by a flushed Alex and the two of them ruined the little bit of peaceful silence which Catherine had been basking in.

"We need to talk." She said in an authoritative voice as soon as the two them came to a halt. "In private." The girl added for good measure, her eyes glancing at the short brunette distrustfully.

"I get it." Catherine nodded politely and turned on her heels. "I'll leave you two alone."

Meaning to leave the building and the place entirely to get back to the sorority house, she checked her wristwatch and stomped away, turning one last time to glance at a distraught Vincent before she rounded the corner and lost sight of them altogether. _Sorry Vincent_, she thought, dropping the act and admitting that with or without her, the boy had to have that discussion with his ex, he had to clear things out with her because the redhead was obviously still hoping for romance and Catherine didn't want Vincent to lead the girl on. He had to either reject her once and for all or else get back with her. She gulped loudly at the thought of the two being a couple again, she hated to admit it but she wished it would never happen.

It was only ten thirty, she realized with a sad sigh but already she felt like an outcast and a pawn which was being used as the two lovers settled their differences. Now that she thought about it, it was funny that Vincent was trying to spend time with her just as Alex was around and on the ready to get him back. After all, it seemed that all of her friends were having fun except for her. And if she had to be stuck in the middle while Vincent and Alex argued or – well, even worse, while they made up, she thought she might lose it all and punch an innocent third party in the face or something of the sort.

All things considered, she had actually spent a nice evening. She had had fun and she had laughed and had been scared all at the same time and experienced such emotions thanks to Tori and her father's prank. So she had to smile as she walked back to the parking lot. She had to etch all the good feelings deep in her memory. She was blessed to have all these fun friends and now - well _now_ she was wise to leave before any of it got ugly _i.e_ before things between Alex and Vincent got too serious.

…...

It all seemed sweet and satisfying to her, leaving the party in just the right time but when she actually reached the exit to the park, she realized that she needed a ride to get home and felt incredibly stupid, her eyes quickly roaming the parking lot in search of familiar faces. People were still filing in, running in the opposite direction with loud laughter and cries of excitement and she felt lonely as the different cliques walked round her lone figure standing awkwardly in the middle.

And how could she find a ride home? How could she trust anyone enough to drive her home?

"Catherine? Catherine Chandler?" A girl called as she walked by.

"Hum – hi?" Catherine said uneasily as she squinted at the dark figure stood before the streetlight's bright halo.

"I'm so glad to see you're here! _Having fun_!" The girl exclaimed joyfully though slight surprise dripped from her voice.

"Beth? Beth Bowman?" Catherine choked out when the girl walked closer and the light reflected on her dark eyes.

"Yeah! You haven't forgotten about me already, have you?" She asked playfully and nudged her shoulder.

"No, of course not." Catherine said politely with a shy smile.

How could she forget such a debauched roommate? She was the reason why she'd moved to a sorority house of all places to begin with. _Oh, if only Beth knew._ Catherine only wished she could forget.

"Well, what are you doing here? Standing by yourself?" Beth asked amicably, grabbing Catherine's arm and leading her back to the entrance to the park. "I'll meet you guys later, I'm catching up with an old friend!" The dark-skinned girl bellowed as she nodded at the group of students waiting for her less than four feet ahead.

"Oh you should go with your friends." Catherine said quickly. "I don't want to bother you and disrupt your – "

"Nonsense!" Beth interrupted the brunette's apology with a flick of her wrist. "I recognize a friend in need of help when I see one!"

Catherine growled audibly, fearing the girl's next inquiring questions.

"Look, Cat." Beth sounded soft and caring as she stopped dead in her tracks, turning on her heels to face her ex-roommate with both hands rested on her shoulders. "I know we've had our differences but – you're still my friend and I want to help you even if I know I'll never make it even. Clearly, my debauchery is unforgivable and – well it wouldn't be the first time that such a filthy character trait ruins my life."

Catherine winced at the sound of desperation in Beth's voice. Of course, the girl could be an annoying wreck but she was a good friend nonetheless, Catherine had to give her that, she had numbers of memories to prove it.

"But the thing is – I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for the things I did to you and now if there's any favor you need? I would love – really _love_ to help."

"Well," Catherine breathed out. "There is one thing you _can_ do."

Beth nodded encouragingly, a grin stretching her lips.

"You can drive me home." Catherine said nervously and shrugged casually.

"But Cat – it's – " The girl stammered in confusion as she checked the time on her phone, "it's only eleven?"

Catherine sighed and proceeded to protest but a sudden memory caused her mouth to go mute as her jaw dropped in realization. Vincent's words sounded clear and haunting in her mind, making her heart ache and causing her to reconsider her decision to leave the park.

...

_Just as she turned around, his hand gripped hers briefly and she looked up at his soft brown eyes, feeling his warm touch and stiffening slightly at the effect it had on her body._

"_Meet me at the Grand Carousel by the Drop Towers." He said in a rush._

"_When?" Her mouth asked before she could even think her actions through._

"_Eleven!" He cried out just as his fingers slipped away from hers and he vanished in the thick mob._

...

"What? What is it?" Beth asked as she scrutinized Catherine's face.

"I – I..." Catherine stammered, lost for words.

What was she supposed to do now? Run back to the inside of the park and to Vincent's meeting point, risking another Alex and Vincent chemistry-filled moment? Or was the comfort of home the better option? _The safer option?_

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, I had a lot on my plate. And I get writer's block when I'm really anxious. And well – I'm also quite lazy so when I don't feel like writing I simply don't. I truly believe that the best pieces of fiction come to you when you write out of pleasure, so I waited for that writing phase to come back.**

**And now I'm so inspired for this story, it hurts. I'm gonna have to sit down and re-think everything for this not to crumble down into some cheap drama.**

**Thank you all for your absolutely wonderful support! I felt so guilty reading your reviews. I should have updated much sooner. But no worries, I'm striving to change that, to post the next chapters on a regular basis.**

**Love you all absolutely delightful readers! You've no idea how important your reviews are. They convinced me to never give up on this story.**


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